#GovJamCLT Is this Weekend - June 12-14

The Charlotte Shapers are giving you the opportunity to collaborate on solutions to problems and challenges facing the city. It’s a weekend-long event, dubbed #GovJamCLT (see hash on Twitter), with the goal of helping “Charlotte residents begin to make the increasingly important connections needed between government and those the public sector serves.”

You might be familiar with previous events and initiatives the Charlotte Shapers have done over the last couple of years, such as its annual business idea competition. Part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, the Charlotte group carries out the international organization’s mission of empowering young leaders (people in their 20s and 30s) to create solutions to problems around the world, essentially one community and city at a time. The Charlotte group’s primary focus is tackling youth unemployment, but they also address a wide range of issues, as you’ll see with #GovJamCLT.

#GovJamCLT Rundown

Date: June 12-14 | Friday, 5:45 - 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Admission: $15; covers all three days (each day that you attend, you get $5 back).
Location: The Junior League of Charlotte, 1332 Maryland Ave.

Part of the Global Gov Jam, when people around the world will come together for 48 hours, #GovJamCLT is open to everyone, and the theme of this “jam” will be announced at the start of the event (but you can presume it will be tied to local government). If you've never participated in an event like this before, all you need to do is come with an open mind and a desire to see positive change where you live.

Get complete details and register for #GovJamCLT at charlotteshapers.org/govjamclt.

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Work It Out -- Mecklenburg County Job Fair Sept. 9

​Whether unemployed or unhappy with the job you currently have, you (or someone you know) are probably looking for work. Well, put your suit in the cleaners, print copies of your resume, and get ready for this upcoming opportunity. Mecklenburg County is hosting a job fair on Tuesday, September 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Grady Cole Center (310 N. Kings Dr.).

The county is hiring for several positions, including library aide and assistant, IT programmers, vendor managers, social workers, nurses, maintenance and operations assistants, recreation specialists, and more. Click here for more details on the job fair, and you can find a list of current job openings here, which you can apply for online.

Credit: facebook.com/MecklenburgCounty

Mecklenburg County, which is comprised of Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville, surpassed one million residents in population last year, with the Queen City accounting for about 80 percent of that.

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Charlotte Premium Outlets Taking Shape, Scheduled to Open Mid-Summer

UPDATE: The website for Charlotte Premium Outlets has gone live -- premiumoutlets.com/charlotte -- and there you'll find additional info, including details for its May 2 Job Fair and July 31-Aug 3 Grand Opening.

Over the last few weeks, I've traveled up and down Interstate 485 several times, from my home exit, Exit 16 (NC 16/Brookshire Boulevard) down past Exit 1 (NC 49/South Tryon Street). And by taking that route--most recently on Friday--I've noticed the rapid progression of construction for Charlotte Premium Outlets, which is visible from the interstate near Exit 4 (NC 160/Steele Creek Road). I used to travel along that Steele Creek Road exit often a few years ago, so I recall the large plots of vacant land around there. That's all about to change when this new outlet mall opens, with its target opening date of July 31.

Rendering of Charlotte Premium Outlets.

Charlotte Premium Outlets is a 50-50 joint venture between Simon Property Group (premiumoutlets.com) and Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (tangeroutlet.com), which each operate dozens of outlet shopping centers around the country--in the region, Simon operates Concord Mills and Gaffney Premium Outlets (as well as SouthPark Mall), for example, and Tanger operates two across North Carolina, two in Myrtle Beach, and one in Charleston. On Monday the companies announced the latest news on Charlotte Premium Outlets, including the scheduled opening date, that the number of planned stores has increased from 90 to 100, and a partial list of tenants that are already under contract.

The announced tenants are:

Adidas, American Eagle, ASICS, The Body Shop, Brooks Brothers, The Children’s Place, The Cosmetics Company Store, Crabtree & Evelyn, Fossil, Gold Toe, Haggar, Jockey, Justice, Kay Jewelers, Kitchen Collection, Le Creuset, Lindt Chocolate, Perfumania, Rack Room Shoes, Robert Wayne Footwear, Samsonite, Seiko, Skechers, Swarovski, The Uniform Company, Vitamin World, Wet Seal, and Wilson’s Leather.

That list of stores isn't anything to write home about, but keep in mind that this only reflects a little more than one-fourth of the total stores that will be housed there. And according to Construction Data Company's Building Blocks Blog, which regularly breaks news on commercial construction projects, many more tenants (more impressive ones at that) are planning stores at Charlotte Premium Outlets, such as:

Ann Taylor, BCBG Max Azria, BeBe, Calvin Klein, Charlotte Russe, Coach Store, Cole Haan, Famous Footwear, Finish Line, Guess Factory Store, Kenneth Cole, Levi's Outlet Store, Michael Kors, Oakley Vault, Perry Ellis, Polo Ralph Lauren, Saks Off Fifth, Soma, Tommy Hilfiger, White House Black Market, Zumiez, and others.

Charlotte Business Journal published a behind-the-scenes article and photo gallery of Charlotte Premium Outlets on Friday. The general manager of the outlet mall said she anticipates the first retailers will begin moving in about 60 days before the July 31 grand opening. Once completed, the stores will provide more than 900 full-time and part-time jobs.

I expect that this project will greatly transform this part of town, spurring a lot more development along I-485 Exit 4 and Steele Creek Road--pretty much the same way Northlake Mall did to its section of West W.T. Harris Boulevard when it opened in fall 2005. There were hundreds of acres of unused land around there before then. Today, there's not only the mall with its 150-plus stores, restaurants, and movie theater, but other shopping centers, big-box stores (Target, Lowe's, Best Buy), restaurants (P.F. Chang's, Mimi's Cafe, this new McDonald's), and a hotel (Drury Inn & Suites) have sprung up there over the years. New apartment complexes and townhouses have also been developed, with more currently under construction, and along the way I-485 Exit 21 opened, which helped make getting over there even more convenient.

Because of where Charlotte Premium Outlets is located, only four miles from the South Carolina border, it will undoubtedly draw plenty of shoppers from Fort Mill and Rock Hill. I also suspect it will attract a lot of visitors from Columbia because I believe this will become the closest outlet mall to them--about an hour-and-15-minute drive.

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Need A Job to Pay for Valentine's Day? Charlotte Job Fair Tuesday (Jan. 21) for Seasonal Workers

It's estimated that Americans spent about $18 billion dollars on Valentine's Day-related gifts last year. I blame the increase in spending on social media! For decades, ladies, even without ever mentioning it to their men, desired that their fellas send flowers and gifts to their jobs on Feb. 14, to the envy of their female co-workers. But now, the gifts they receive are elevated in notoriety through photos posted on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. So that $15 box of candy and $10 bear from CVS is no longer going to cut it, buddy. Better start stacking your dough now in anticipation of what you'll be spending in about three-and-a-half weeks. Need some financial assistance?

Provide Commerce is holding a job fair this Tuesday, January 21, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for seasonal employees to work in its ProFlowers and Shari's Berries Manufacturing and Distribution Center here in Charlotte (11922 General Drive, 858-677-7460). The temporary positions will be largely to keep up with Valentine's Day gift-purchasing demand. And according to the Fort Mill Times, the company is seeking to fill 1,200 local jobs. Provide Commerce is a San Diego-based company that operates popular consumer brands that include Shari's Berries, ProFlowers, RedEnvelope, and Personal Creations. The positions offer flexible schedules because the Charlotte distribution center is open 24 hours a day.

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'The New American is Arriving,' Merger with US Airways; Charlotte's Ego, Your Wallet

After a year of rumors and speculation, today US Airways and American Airlines officially announced their plans to merge. The combined company will keep the American Airlines name, and will become the largest airline in the world. They've created a website for you to track developments and news: newamericanarriving.com.

The new American Airlines has also created a couple of web videos to mark this milestone.

Video

Video

Charlotteans and local businesses and media have all been concerned about the prospects of this merger because of how it could potentially affect Charlotte Douglas International Airport's status as US Airways’ largest hub--US Airways operates more than 600 flights coming in and out of CLT daily, nearly 90 percent of the airport's total daily flights. The indication right now is that the merger will bring more daily flights to Charlotte, according to US Airways CEO Doug Parker.

Charlotte's business and civic leaders are, of course, concerned about how the merger will affect the city in terms of economic impact and number of jobs. But there's another thing: Charlotte is fixated, almost to the level of obsession, with being able to claim it's the headquarters city of this and that, or is the largest home to this or that (folks still haven't gotten over losing Wachovia). After the merger, the US Airways name will go away, and as for the new American Airlines, Charlotte is expected to be its second largest hub, behind only Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (the combined company will be headquartered in Fort Worth).

All of that is fine and dandy, but to most of us there's one thing that's more important: how will the cost of fares be affected? That's something we won't know for months, maybe even years to come. As if it hasn't gotten expensive enough to fly.

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NASCAR, Hewlett-Packard to Build Fan and Media Engagement Center in Charlotte

If you think interest in social media is slowing down, don't hold your breath. When I'm out at social and networking events, conversations often turn to what we're doing on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and other social media tools. Maybe that's more so a reflection of the circles I run in. But the people at NASCAR are putting social media on the fast track in a major way. NASCAR and Hewlett-Packard have announced plans to build the NASCAR Fan and Media Engagement Center at the racing league's marketing communications and digital media offices in NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte. It will "enable the sport to better serve the industry, media and fans through a platform that facilitates near-real-time response to traditional, digital and social media," the companies said in a press release.

NASCAR Plaza in Uptown. Credit: nascarplazacharlotte.com

The 500-square-foot, glass-enclosed center will be outfitted with state-of-the-art touch screens, television monitors, and multiple-seated viewing areas. The center will, reportedly, be the first of its kind for a sports league. It's slated for initial testing in October, with a full rollout expected by the start of the 2013 season in February. NASCAR plans to staff it about 18 hours a day. I can't say for sure if this is related, but NASCAR currently has a half-dozen job openings in its digital media department in Charlotte.

The planned NASCAR Fan and Media Engagement Center. Credit: NASCAR/HP

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Job Fair June 7 for Charlotte-Area Military Veterans

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and RecruitMilitary are presenting the Hiring Our Heroes veteran job fair and opportunity expo on Thursday, June 7, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Charlotte Motor Speedway (in the ballroom of The Speedway Club, 5555 Concord Parkway South, Concord). This is a free event for military veterans, including personnel who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life, veterans who already have civilian work experience, members of the National Guard and reserves, and their spouses.

So far, 46 exhibitors and hiring companies have signed on to participate, including Verizon Communications, Bank of America / Merrill Lynch, Kellogg, Chiquita Brands, The Home Depot, Wells Fargo, Convergys, Ettain Group, State Farm, Lash Group, Oracle, and many more. Click here for more details and to register to attend. You can also see what people are saying about RecruitMilitary, the military-to-civilian recruiting firm putting on this job fair, by visiting their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/recruitmilitary.

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Cash Crop: Chiquita Jobs in Charlotte Are a Plenty

After a rather public courtship by several cities last year, Chiquita Brands International, Inc. announced at the end of November that it would relocate its corporate headquarters from Cincinnati to Charlotte. The company's CEO and other executives were immediately greeted with great fanfare. Some critics, however, questioned whether the city, county, and state gave away too much in financial incentives--$24 million worth, comprised of tax credits and grants--to land the international fresh food distributor most known for its bananas. But supporters lauded the deal for the 400 jobs that were promised to be brought here.

At the time of the announcement last fall, CEO Fernando Aguirre said he expected about 200 of those jobs to be filled in Charlotte, believing that the other approximately 200 would be Cincinnati employees who accepted relocation packages. Even for the Charlotteans not hired, that's about 200 workers and their families relocating here, buying homes, paying taxes, and contributing to the local economy in other ways.

As Chiquita prepares its move to the NASCAR Plaza office tower in Uptown, it currently has about 60 jobs posted for positions in Charlotte, based on a search I did this morning. Those open jobs are in several departments, including marketing, customer service, financial planning, food safety, project engineering, business development, transportation, and more. You can find out more about jobs at Chiquita by visiting www.chiquita.com/careers.aspx.

Chiquita employs more than 21,000 people worldwide, with operations in nearly 70 countries. It isn't all fruitful for the company, though. Last week, Chiquita released its first quarter earnings for 2012, reporting a significant loss.

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Urban League Recruiting for Jobs Training Program; Men Who Care Global to Present Community Report

There are two separate community meetings taking place tomorrow morning (Wednesday, August 24) that are providing valuable services and information to the Charlotte area.

The Urban League of Central Carolinas is recruiting for its highly acclaimed 21st Century Jobs program. The program offers free national certifications in career fields such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and fiber optics/broadband. Classes are set to begin September 12 at the Urban League, 740 W. Fifth Street, Charlotte. An information session for the 21st Century Jobs program will be held tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Urban League. Instructors and former students will be on hand to answer any questions, and applications will be accepted. Class size is limited and open on a first-come first-served basis. For more information, call 704-373-2256 ext. 218 or email info@urbanleaguecc.org. www.urbanleaguecc.org

Men Who Care Global, whom you may have learned about when the organization was planning a Fourth of July rally in Uptown in response to a previous incident involving hundreds of misguided African-American youth ("'Men Who Care' Want to Save Our Youth"), is holding a press conference tomorrow at 11 a.m. to present their community report. The press conference will be held at the office of Charlotte businessman and founder of Men Who Care, Ron Leeper, at R.J. Leeper Construction, 601 Morris Street. For additional information or questions, contact Colin Pinkney at cpinkney@urbanrestoration.org or 704-391-0022 ext. 39.

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Carowinds Hiring 2,100 Seasonal, Seeking Actors

If I was a teenager living in this area, I would think one of the coolest jobs to have would be at Carowinds. "It isn't a summer job, it's a paid vacation," the website says. I wouldn't go that far, but as a teenager I imagine you'd be one of the cool kids if you worked where tons of people came to have fun, including many your age. The amusement park on the North Carolina-South Carolina border is now accepting applications and conducting on-site interviews for all departments. It plans to hire more than 2,100 seasonal employees for its 2011 season, which begins when the park opens Saturday, April 2.

I referenced teenagers because young people usually want "cool" jobs, but these jobs are often desirable for people of all ages, particularly those who look for seasonal work (teachers, retirees, etc.). Seasonal positions are being offered in the areas of food and beverage, rides, games, merchandise, admissions, marketing, aquatics, security, warehouse, cash services, and guest services. The age requirement for many of these positions is 15 years of age or older (some are 18 or older). For more details and for an online application, which must be filled out before you go to the Carowinds Employment Office, visit www.jobs4fun.com.

Carowinds will also hold auditions for live entertainment on Saturday, February 26, 3-6 p.m. The park is seeking trained, talented, and experienced actors and characters for the 2011 entertainment season, and those auditioning should bring a one-page resume and current photo. Stage managers and supervisors are also being hired.

Actors should be prepared for a cold read and be prepared to sing as well. A short dance routine will be taught by a choreographer so wear comfortable clothing and shoes (no flip-flops). You will also need to fill out an application before audition day, at www.jobs4fun.com or in person at the Carowinds Employment Office.

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Recap: Charlotte Chamber 2010 Annual Meeting at NASCAR Hall of Fame

The Charlotte Chamber held its 2010 Annual Meeting last night at NASCAR Hall of Fame. I attended the event for the first time in 2008 (when Michael Jordan was honored), so I knew to look forward to a great evening. You wouldn't necessarily think that a business event such as this would be entertaining, but there's a reason 1,800 people showed up (at $75 a ticket). The Charlotte Chamber and the teams of creative people they hire to put on the event, once again gave a top-notch performance.

With the theme "Brand New Day," including an opening performance by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (I can still hear the catchy tune in my head), the annual meeting was a celebratory event after a worrisome last couple of years for people in all levels of business. The Chamber touted the number of companies it helped relocate to, expand, or open new offices in Charlotte during the past year, and the number of new jobs created as a result--4,400--reminding us of the big announcements that came in 2010 from Husqvarna, Electrolux, Siemens, Fifth/Third, and others.

And there was another big announcement, saved especially for the event. Shaw Power Group's CEO took the stage and announced that his company would be adding 225 jobs in Charlotte, 80 percent of those being engineering jobs with an average salary of $95,000. The audience was instructed to ring the little gold bells that were placed in our seats. The ringing of the bells was to mirror a practice that has become a tradition at the Chamber whenever a new business announcement is made.

The evening also featured the passing of the gavel from the 2010 Chamber chair, David Darnell of Bank of America, to 2011 chair Pat Rodgers of Rodgers Builders. Carolinas HealthCare System was given the Belk Innovation in Diversity Award. And Leon and Sandra Levine were honored with the Citizen of the Carolinas Award. As the founder of Family Dollar, Leon Levine has amassed a fortune, and he and his wife have given a lot of it away to charities, the arts, and education.

Perhaps the best thing about the program is that it only lasted an hour. So the crowd quickly got to the food. If you've ever been to the Annual Meeting, you know the food offerings are always spectacular. I was actually a little embarrassed as I walked through the crowd with a plate that looked like I didn't want to have to get up for seconds. Complimentary drinks made the cycle complete.

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Charlotte's a 'Healthiest Housing Market.' Or Is It?

Lists come out all the time, ranking cities in everything from best places to live to those with the fattest people. But when it comes to cities lists that involve financial and economic data, people really take notice, especially in an economy like this. Yesterday, an AOL News article listed the Top 10 Healthiest Housing Markets for 2010. The Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord metro area ranks third on the list.

Yay! Hooray! But before you alert the boosters and the city leaders send out press releases, read the brief description it stated about our market.

"Last year housing prices in this financial center (Wachovia and Bank of America) were already stable, incomes were up and new household formation was among the highest in the nation. With an unemployment rate around 5 percent, the area is projected to add 2 percent more jobs this year."

Wrong! "With an unemployment rate around 5 percent..." Uhh, maybe that was our unemployment rate in 2000 because it's certainly not in 2010. The latest report from the N.C. Employment Security Commission states that the unemployment rate in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord area is 12.8 percent (109,789 residents were unemployed in January).

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Apple NC Jobs Unveiled, Project Still a Mystery

Apple is notoriously secret and dramatic in how it unveils new products and company news. There's always buzz and rumors preceding company announcements, but no one ever really seems to know the full details until Apple is ready to tell us. The iPad seemed to come from out of nowhere when it was announced two months ago (it goes on sale to the public Saturday, by the way). This same kind of mystery is still surrounding Apple's East Coast data center, which has been under construction in Maiden, North Carolina since last summer. Maiden is a small town about 45 minutes northwest of Charlotte.

State officials practically bet away the farm to land Apple's server farm, giving the company an unprecedented number of tax breaks for the promise of jobs and the allure of the Apple brand. Well, last week, Apple posted 10 jobs for the data center in Maiden, most of which are technician positions. The Associated Press was among the first to break the news, and even though Apple officials wouldn't comment, many believe this signals that the $1 billion, 500,000-square-foot operation is nearing completion.

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Maybe BofA Should Use TheLadders

Over the past 24 hours, and particularly this morning, news of Bank of America's search for a CEO to replace the retiring Ken Lewis has been dominating business news websites and the blogosphere. Apparently the job isn't very appealing to some of the top-notch executives who BofA is going after. Maybe they should use TheLadders for their job search ("$100k+ jobs for $100k+ people"). Ranging from speculation to confirmed reports, the latest news suggests that when BofA announces its new CEO, which is expected to come next week, that man (wouldn't you be surprised if it was a woman?) likely won't already be living here in Charlotte and probably won't be required to move here. That in itself has opened the door to a whole new realm of speculation.


I've selected a few news and blog links below.

Bank of America’s Next Chief May Be Based in New York. Bloomberg

BofA CEO may be based outside Charlotte. Reuters

Bank of America's next chief could be based in the Big Apple. Daily Finance (AOL)

Nobody Wants To Lead Bank Of America. DealBreaker

The Dowager City: Next BofA Chief May Quit Charlotte. DealBreaker

BNY Mellon CEO Kelly Tells BofA: No, Thanks. The Wall Street Journal

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Free Spanish Classes for the Unemployed

UPDATE: FREE CLASSES ARE NO LONGER OFFERED. I appreciate the readers who find this blog, and this particular post, from Google searches, but please notice that the details below were written in June 2009 (as you can see from the date beneath the headline). The free program at the Language Academy was temporary and has long since ended (they offer plenty of paid services as normal), so please don't contact them in 2012, 2013, or anytime in the future saying you read about free classes on this blog, unless you have the ability to travel back in time. And if so, may I borrow your time machine? --J.H.

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The Language Academy of the Carolinas is offering free Spanish classes for people who have lost their jobs. Since being fluent in Spanish makes a job seeker more desirable, if you're unemployed this could give you a leg up on the competition during this shrinking job market. If you're like me, you probably took Spanish in high school but only remember the basics (I wish I would've minored in it in college).


The academy, which offers classes in north Charlotte, south Charlotte, and near Uptown, has given out 15 scholarships since the program began last month and plans to make the classes available through the summer of 2009. To see if you qualify for this limited number of opportunities, you should contact the academy rápido. Visit www.carolinalanguage.com.

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