Retail News

Main Street Champions: Bob Amon of Mooresville and Michael Johnson of Statesville were honored as 2012 Main Street Champions at the N.C. Main Street Annual Awards Ceremony in Salisbury on Jan. 31.

• Amon was nominated by the Mooresville Downtown Commission for his contributions to the downtown’s revitalization.

A downtown business and property owner, Amon has served numerous terms on the commission’s board of directors. He transformed a building that had been vacant for at least 20 years into a thriving restaurant – Epic Chophouse – that has attracted customers from across the region, the commission wrote in nominating him for the award.

“Bob is always willing to volunteer to support downtown events, whether it be dressing up as Donald Duck for Halloween trick-or-treat, or working in the snow to help with downtown’s Christmas light show,” the commission wrote.

•  Johnson was selected by the nonprofit Downtown Statesville Development Corp. for his contributions to the city’s downtown revitalization.

As chairman of a master plan committee, he helped plan and implement Statesville’s Downtown and N.C. 115 Streetscape/Land Use Master Plan.

“Without his involvement, downtown Statesville would not be where it is today in the development and implementation of the streetscape improvement project,” the group wrote in nominating Johnson.

Two downtown Statesville projects also were honored in the 2012 N.C. Main Street Awards competition: The Downtown Statesville Streetscape Improvement Project won top honors in the category of Best Outdoor Space Improvement, and Statesville City Hall won in the category of Best Public Space Improvement.

Ingersoll Rand: Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx delivered keynote remarks at Ingersoll Rand’s inaugural Black History Month celebration at the company’s Davidson campus on Feb. 12. Foxx spoke to an audience of Ingersoll Rand employees about the importance of diversity and how it strengthens companies and communities. Ingersoll Rand Chairman and CEO Mike Lamach and Russ Shelton, chair of the company’s Black Employee Network, also addressed the gathering.

The Business Center: The Business Center @ South Main Square, 442 S. Main St., Davidson will host a free open house 4:30-6 p.m. Feb. 19 to showcase its newly installed MI-Connection video conferencing technology. The only one of its kind in the Lake Norman area, the system offers high quality audio and video and can connect up to three locations simultaneously, center manager Kathleen Rose said. The Feb. 19 event is free and open to the public. Details: www.southmainsquare.com.

Business Expo: The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce’s Lake Norman Business Expo is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 8 at Davidson College’s Belk Arena. The event, attended by about 2,000 people, will feature 170 of the region’s businesses, nonprofits and attractions. Booths are $250 ($300 with power) for chamber members and $400 for others. Registration: www.lakenormanchamber.org.

Home Instead Senior Care: Nominate outstanding senior volunteers at SalutetoSeniorService.com by March 31. Online voting will be April 15-30. Home Instead Inc. will donate $500 to each of the state winners’ favorite nonprofit organizations, and their stories will be posted on the Salute to Senior Service Wall of Fame. Compiled by Joe Marusak.