Inmar Moving Downtown!

 

Since Inmar announced in April that it would stay in Winston-Salem, there has been speculation:  would they renovate and add on to their existing headquarters or would they move downtown to the Piedmont Triad Research Park or the GMAC building? On July 31st, the company announced that their new corporate headquarters would be in two former Reynolds buildings, 90-3 and 90-1A, in the North District of the PTRP. The buildings, located at the southeastern corner of Seventh and Vine Streets are owned and will be renovated by Wexford Science and Technology LLC, the company which did that did such a fabulous job on Wake Forest Biotech Place. According to the press release, the buildings are 51 years old and contain 240,000 sq.ft.  The project will be LEED certified and will preserve the historic character of the buildings; it is scheduled to be completed in 17 months - December 2013. Click here for a Google Maps Street view perspective of the buildings as they currently stand. 

Pepsi Bottling Ventures Expanding in Winston!

 

Pepsi Bottling Ventures announced today that it would expand its operations in Winston-Salem rather than a different Triad location. Pursuant to $1.7 million dollars in city and county incentives, the company will invest $82 million in a new plant at 390 Business Park Drive.  500 total employees will work there with 200 new jobs created after it moves 300 employees from its current location on Myer Lee Drive. Read the official press release here.  

Winston-Salem Open Update

The Winston-Salem Open which will be held August 18-25, released their player field yesterday.  Twenty-two of the thirty-nine players confirmed so far (there will be a total of 48) are ranked in the top fifty in the world; last year only eleven players were ranked in the top fifty.   

2 New Stores on Fourth Street, Brushy Fork Greenway Opens

Unique Home Expressions, a gift shop for home and garden accessories, will be opening in Suite 101A at 500 W. Fourth Street next to the Eyecarecenter in the space previously occupied by Nu Shoes.  Downtown Brody's Bar opened last week near King's Crab Shack and Oyster Bar at 249 W. Fourth Street and was described by its owner as having a "Cheers" feel.

In other news, Mayor Allen Joines cut the ribbon officially opening the Brushy Fork Greenway today, July 10th.  Although only .4 miles in length, the trail connects with the 1.2 mile Newell-Massey Greenway and per Forsyth County's recently updated Greenway Plan, will eventually be connected to the much longer Salem Lake Trail and Salem Creek Greenway.  Click here for a brochure of existing greenway trails in Winston-Salem.

PTRP Names New Head

Eric Tomlinson has been named both President and Chief Innovation Officer of the Piedmont Triad Research Park.  According to information from other sources reporting on Mr. Tomlinson appointment, such as the Winston-Salem Journal, the News Release from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and the Triad Biz Journal, Mr. Tomlinson is an experienced scientist and CEO with a special emphasis on bringing new products to market and will accordingly oversee all research and commercialization efforts.

$136.6 Million in Arts Related Spending in 2010

That number comes from a report from the Americans for the Arts, an advocacy organization.  The report, which looked at 182 regions nationwide, also found that the arts in Forsyth County supported 4,769 full-time jobs.  This article about the study on the Arts Council website quotes Mayor Allen Joines as saying the study affirms that the arts are major economic driver in the area; the article also notes that Forsyth County "substantially exceeded the median of similar study regions and the national median."  

Pepsi Bottling Ventures to Expand in W-S?

 
The company which is based in Raleigh and is the largest privately-held Pepsi bottler in North America, has requested incentives from the city to expand its distribution operations on Myer Lee Drive near Smokin' Harley Davidson off Business 40.  According to this Winston-Salem Journal article, Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC, is seeking up to $1 million dollars and the office of Mayor Allen Joines has stated that there is a potential for 200 new jobs.