zalo

Winston-Salem-based KeraNetics is quadrupling its manufacturing space in Wake Forest Innovation Quarter as it prepares to hopefully begin human clinical trials next year. The regenerative medicine firm, headed by CEO Kim Westmoreland, is moving into space at 200 E. First St. that was formerly occupied by drug development company Targacept, and using a $250,000 small business research loan from the N.C. Biotechnology Center to help finance the renovation. Westmoreland said Thursday that the roughly 9,000-square-foot facility will provide the "good manufacturing practice" space to create the products used in upcoming human clinical trials. The space will meet higher standards for ventilation, hygiene and process control necessary for medical manufacturing. http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2014/10/23/keranetics-expanding-in-winston-salem-renovating.html?page=all

Maybe this will cut down on Mayor Nancy Vaughn & Councilman Zach Matheny's whining.

I think I shall change my moniker from zalo to Nostrodamus Posted 15 July 2014 - 10:28 AM This is shaping up to be most likely the best scenario for the Triad. The GSO factory remains operational and one would think with the head guy based in GSO along with the Reidsville operations would prompt Imperial Tobacco to move their HQ from Bowling Green, KY to GSO. http://www.journalno...1a4bcf6878.html Edited by zalo, 15 July 2014 - 10:29 AM.

You're right. Those views facing north are really spectacular. And most floors of the building will have great views. I would love to know what the different scenarios CBRE are reviewing. I'm real curious about the "ugly duckling" windowless (original Integon) building behind the tower. That is going to be a tough part of the puzzle to put together.

RichardC, could you re-post your link. I couldn't open it. Thanks.

Looks like the decision has been made. Stone Brewing is Richmond bound. They won out over Norfolk & Columbus OH. http://www.timesdispatch.com/business/manufacturing/sources-stone-brewing-coming-to-richmond/article_e44149f2-dacb-5d44-9e06-3d8e818fa183.html

It's official, the renovation of the RJR Tower into a luxury Kimpton Hotel & Apartments has begun! The construction fencing is blocking off the building on E. Fourth & N. Church. A large dumpster is on Church St. side connected with a debris chute.. The old courthouse square is getting a little congested with construction fencing & dumpsters. 3 projects are currently underway with aforementionedKimpton/RJR Hotel/Aprts along with Clachan Properties project to turn the courthouse into Aprts with retail space as well as the Pepper Building mixed use restaurant/residential development as well. http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_141273751031210&key=79bd9386a12d9ac58a81d42672c87dc4&libId=bfdad301-e293-4bf1-8b60-8d0a588228f0&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbanplanet.org%2Fforums%2Findex.php%3Fs%3Db7f14c06169a26fad2bc06daf2ad9504%26app%3Dforums%26module%3Dpost%26section%3Dpost%26do%3Dedit_post%26f%3D224%26t%3D4506%26p%3D1325530%26st%3D360%26_from%3Dquickedit&subId=&v=1&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizjournals.com%2Ftriad%2Fblog%2F2014%2F05%2Fits-official-reynolds-building-to-become-kimpton.html%3Fpage%3Dall&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbanplanet.org%2Fforums%2Findex.php%2Ftopic%2F4506-downtown-winston-salem-developments%2Fpage-19&title=Editing%20Post%20In%20Downtown%20Winston-Salem%20Developments%20-%20UrbanPlanet&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizjourna...n.html%3Fpage%3Dall

It looks like it will be around the first of the year as to what will become of the GMAC tower in DTWS. CBRE is reporting interest among several southeastern developers in making a play for the building. All the existing proposals call for a mixed use development with varying degrees of retail/residential/office combinations. The key calling card with these developers is the amount of parking already available as part of the sale. Which makes the numbers easier to work with especially regarding residential. The article does report that a couple of the surface lots are currently under contract & will not be a part of the bigger plan. Can't wait to see how this all turns out. Total investment costs with the larger projects is estimated to top $50 million dollars. http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2014/10/01/exclusive-gmac-complex-in-downtown-winston-salem.html?page=all

Dave Chappelle is hilarious!! I loved his show at the Stevens Center in Winston back in the summer of '13. I think he should resurrect a new updated show on TV. HBO or some such network would be a great home for him.

Here's a great article from the most recent edition of Winston-Salem Monthly magazine that really does a great job of updating the WFIQ's status, along with photos. The WSM article gives a great overview of the IQ in both physical terms as well as the type of research "innovations" that are currently being conducted there http://www.journalnow.com/winstonsalemmonthly/window-to-a-new-world/article_54387f86-2c6f-11e4-b326-0017a43b2370.html http://www.journalnow.com/winstonsalemmonthly/innovation-quarter-highlights/article_7a8c3748-2c76-11e4-ab95-0017a43b2370.html

The TBJ reports Wake Forest Innovation Quarter has requested a state designation that would make it easier to develop 28 acres in its central district, the next phase of the downtown research park that’s already proven a major economic and employment hub for Winston-Salem. Innovation Quarter last week requested brownfields designation for 28 acres north of Business 40, with U.S. 52 to the east, Church Street to the west and terminating at Third Street. Innovation Quarter estimates the total development of the 28-acre central district would take between 15 years and 20 years and cost upward of $750 million. “Who would be the developer, how they would develop it, for what purpose, is a big, big opportunity and challenge,” Tomlinson said. The N.C. Brownfields Program is part of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. When a parcel is designated as a brownfields site, that helps alleviate some of the significant development costs incurred by redeveloping an environmentally tainted or contaminated site. If approved as a brownfield by the state, the high-profile 28 acres at Wake Forest Innovation Quarter would join several other sites at the research park that have already received the brownfield designation. The largest of those pieces is a 40-acre tract bounded by Business 40 to the north, U.S. 52 to the east, Stadium Drive to the south and Salem Avenue to the west, Tomlinson said. That 40-acre tract was initially requested to receive a brownfield designation in January 2011, he said, and it connects to the 28-acre piece that’s up for consideration as a brownfield site now. Wake Forest had initially intended to develop the 28-acre parcel early on, but those plans were pushed back after R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. gifted over its former tobacco factories and warehouses, which comprise a bulk of the existing development at the park.“All of our attention has been on the northernmost part of the research park,” Tomlinson said. “Now that that is nearing a completion, we are turning our attention to this parcel of 28 acres.” Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest Innovations and national consultants have been working on a master plan for the 28-acre site for more than a year. Tomlinson said the potential buildout would top “several millions of square feet” and would likely be mixed-use development. The goal is to create a development that’s highly impactful economically and socially and benefits quality of life for the entire Triad. “We’ve got a prime site in an urban setting, which has all of its utilities and transportation requirements,” Tomlinson said. “It’s an amazing site, actually. We want to make sure that we propose a truly remarkable development for that site, and are trying to get that ready. We’re not too far away from starting to get this out in the community.”

A great honor for Wexford & outstanding publicity for the IQ. The Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits today announced the winners of the 2014 Historic Rehabilitation Awards, which recognize exceptional achievement in preservation using the historic rehabilitation tax credit (HTC). Winning projects and their development teams will be honored in a ceremony at the Novogradac Historic Tax Credit Conference, Sept. 18-19, 2014 at The Drake Hotel in Chicago, Ill. “Recipients of the Historic Rehabilitation Awards represent some of the very best work in historic preservation,” said Michael J. Novogradac, CPA and managing partner of Novogradac & Company LLP. “We are pleased to commend their accomplishments and to spotlight the importance of the historic tax credit in revitalizing communities.” Major Community Impact • Winner: Building 90 of the Wake Forest Innovation Center • Developed by Wexford Science and Technology, a BioMed Realty Company Winners receive: • One complimentary entry to the conference to receive the award; • Coverage of the project in the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits; • Copies of the Journal of Tax Credits to share with industry contacts; and • Recognition on the Novogradac & Company website and YouTube channel, and in a national press release about the event. • Winners will also be supplied with a press release for their distribution. • http://www.novoco.com/company/press/201 ... 081514.pdf • http://www.novoco.com/awards/historic/index.php

What is it about Florida juries? First Casey Anthony & George Zimmerman, now this. I think it's time for the Federal Government to step in and take over and have juries imported from various other states of the Union to decide trials in the Sunshine State. As it is obvious that the competency of the average Floridian falls below the threshold of being capable of handling jury duty. http://www.wxii12.com/news/fla-jury-slams-rj-reynolds-with-236b-in-damages/27040954?absolute=true#!biJwFO

"Zalo I dont know how other cities knew. Maybe he shared those plans with other communities to promote his company. But thats what the article stated." Yeah, I read it. It just seems nonsensical that this being, as Carroll stated, his first DT mixed use project that he would be peddling these renderings to other communities to whet their appetites to clamor for him to develop in their cities. When no one in the actual city where he intends his first project laid eyes on it until Planning Brd. review. It appears typical for most developers to complete or at least start a project prior to soliciting interest from other locales. I'm wondering if he may be utilizing his newspaper in a marketing function to engender support for his project. It would appear unnecessary as it looks like a great project. And that one block of street he wants closed would not cause any kind of appreciable disruption to traffic flow. Seems like a no brainer. To add further credence to my position, here's citiboi's take just recently which prompted my inquiry. Posted 12 July 2014 - 01:59 AM Im supportive of this but my question is how is the city going to approve this blindly without any plans, blueprints, ect being presented to them? structures on a number of properties have been demolished to make way for it but no plans have publicly been released. Maybe those plans and renderings will finally be released once city council takes on the street closure issue. I guess traffic that normally goes from North Elm to Eugene St on Lindsay St would take Bellemeade instead. That part of Lindsay St has a low volume of traffic so it would have minimal impact. After all a portion of Lindsay St directly west of the planned development was closed to make way for the ballpark So you have other cities "salivating" over Roy Carroll's development plans yet no one in GSO knew anything about them prior to Planning Board meeting.

I like the look of the buildings. One thing I'm curious about is how are other cities so impressed with this project that they want Carroll to do similar projects in their cities, when in fact no one even in GSO had even seen any type of rendering on what the project looked like before the planning board meeting. As citiboi noted in an earlier post just two weeks ago "I hope his company will share his renderings with the public. Years ago it was common practice to show renderings on signs right on the construction sites. You just don't see that anymore around here."

Hated seeing this story out of the TBJ: Merz North America — part of the global pharmaceutical company Merz Pharma Group — is moving its headquarters from High Point to Raleigh. The announcement was made at a press conference Wednesday afternoon in downtown Raleigh where Gov. Pat McCrory was on hand to announce more details. The new headquarters is expected to house 250 employees, including 50 new jobs. It will move operations from the current headquarters 4215 Tudor Lane in High Point as well as other U.S. sites to Raleigh. Merz is currently leasing 60,000 square feet of space at 6501 Six Forks Road in Raleigh. While the company considered several metro areas in three states — including an expansion in the Greensboro area — Raleigh won, even though no incentives were issued. "The incentives weren't as important to us as the fit — the fit was perfect for us," says Michael McMyne, senior director of Commercial Excellence and North American Strategic Implementation at Merz. In the end, it was the Triangle talent force, fueled by the three major universities. "Forty percent of life science industry companies in some way, shape or form call Raleigh home," CEO Bill Humphries says. "You have the best and brightest minds."

The TBJ reports: An event space housed in a basketball court, complimentary snacks and beverages, billiards and darts may seem more at home in a fraternity house than an office. But those amenities fit right in at coworking space Flywheel, which opened this week at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter. Flywheel is located in 11,585 square feet of the research park’s 525@vine building. Its flexible, collaborative working space offers a “casual and contemporary” environment for entrepreneurs, independent professionals and innovators to work “on the fly.” Coworking spaces are flexible, shared offices that provide a place for people to work without the overhead of owning an office. Flywheel offers short- and long-term memberships with access to work and play areas — such as the basketball court/event space dubbed the “IQ Court” — as well as state-of-the-art conference rooms with teleconference capabilities, mailboxes and other office tools and private phone booths. Local companies Wildfire LLC, Workplace Strategies Inc. and Storr Office Environments Inc. jointly collaborated to bring Flywheel to life. “The vision for Flywheel extends far beyond on the space we provide,” said Brad Bennett, Wildfire CEO. “We are creating a knowledge-sharing environment driven by innovation, not just a place for people to work.” Flywheel is open 24/7.

This is shaping up to be most likely the best scenario for the Triad. The GSO factory remains operational and one would think with the head guy based in GSO along with the Reidsville operations would prompt Imperial Tobacco to move their HQ from Bowling Green, KY to GSO. http://www.journalnow.com/business/business_beat/reynolds-american-launches-billion-bid-for-lorillard/article_dcb7e1f8-0c17-11e4-9d28-001a4bcf6878.html

Well, here's the status at week's end after week of speculation on all sorts of scenarios. http://www.journalnow.com/business/business_beat/reynolds-confirms-interest-in-lorillard/article_e2c48616-08f0-11e4-b4c9-001a4bcf6878.html

Good Going...

You mean big events like rapper Lil Boosie & Friends in concert on Aug. 15. Yeah, McCartney's tour is full of big cities like Missoula, MT, Fargo, ND, Albany, NY, Lincoln, NE, and Lubbock, Tx. along with the cursory collection of typical "big" cities. This tour date was a second bite of the apple due to his being sick for an earlier date and thus a date came open. Ole Matty Brown put on that big dog and pony show due to the fact that he was recently called out at City Council for needing a bigger subsidy in next year's budget due to an "unanticipated" decline in shows coming through the Coliseum during the last fiscal year . It was most disturbing to witness the honorable Mayor Nancy Vaughan slumming through such a performance. For my money, the GSO Coliseum "arrived" at the first Springsteen concert. So this is just half-*ssed self serving marketing B.S.

Imagine downtown Winston-Salem as a giant storybook. That is the vision of a new program by Associated Artists called Storefronts Winston-Salem. This program will commission artists and designers to create vibrant art installations for vacant or underused storefront windows. They are also looking for property owners and business owners interested in receiving one of these installations. The goal is to install a new series of at least six windows at different locations every three months. Each series will have a different theme. The unveiling of the first series will coordinate with this year’s annual Bookmarks Festival, which is where the idea of turning storefront windows into pages from a giant storybook comes in. Organizers say that this program will reach out to people who may not typically attend visual arts activities. It also gives artists and designers a unique opportunity to create artwork on a larger scale and for a more public venue. The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership is very supportive of the new program. Similar programs in Seattle, San Francisco, Durham, and Chapel Hill have shown that there are also benefits to the business community. The installations attract more foot traffic and help improve the appearance of downtowns. Studies indicate that installations in vacant storefronts have a positive impact on properties available for lease by increasing visibility for those properties. Information sessions will be held on Thursday, June 26 at 5:30 pm and Thursday, July 17 at 5:30 pm in the Conference Room on the main level of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts at 251 N. Spruce Street in Winston-Salem. Information is also available at 336-747-1463. There is no charge to property owners or business owners to participate in the program. Artists whose work is selected will receive a stipend of $250 per window. Deadline is July 31 for artist entries for the storybook-themed installations. The program is open to residents of North Carolina. A Call for Entries is on the website. The first series of installations is funded in part by a grant from the John W. and Anna H. Hanes Foundation. Associated Artists receives annual operating support from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County

Looks like Atlanta is me-tooing GSO right down to the lunch counter exhibit. Really was surprised the NYT did not seem to know that there was a museum in GSO. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/us/atlanta-civil-rights-museum.html?_r=0

Something more to chew on from this morning's TBJ: It feels like we're watching a slow-moving soap opera. But in the latest installment of "Will they, won't they" of a merger of Reynolds American Inc. and Lorillard Inc. some developments in Spain are adding fuel to the fire that the two Triad companies will come together. Bloomberg reports that Imperial Tobacco Group plans to sell 30 percent of its stock in its Madrid unit, Compania de Distribucion Integral Logista Holdings SA, next month. Doing so would to raise about $800 million. Why is that important to note? Because it would put England-based Imperial in a better position to snap up assets that regulators would likely force Reynolds (NYSE: RAI) and Lorillard (NYSE: LO) to offload in order for a deal to go through. Imperial is also in a better position that most of its peer companies to buy any brands should that happen. “The Logista IPO may help set the Reynolds-Lorillard deal in motion again,” Philip Gorham, an analyst with Morningstar Inc. told Bloomberg. “It gives Imperial a bit of leeway to help finance the brand acquisitions ‘and give its U.S. business scale." Analysts have speculated that Reynolds would probably have to at least sell its Kool, Winston and Salem brands to gain regulatory approval. Winston-based Reynolds and Greensboro-based Lorillard have both repeatedly declined to comment on a potential merger. But speculation by analysts and news outlets has been constant during the last several months. A potential merger would likely mean local job cuts and consolidation of existing operations. But a marriage between the pair also could ultimately create a more powerful player in the tobacco industry and a stronger company based in the Triad.

The ridesharing smartphone app Uber will be available in the Triad beginning today, the Charlotte Observer reports. The California-based company is expanding its UberX service to Greensboro, Winston-Sale, Durham, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville and Wilmington, according to the newspaper and a blog post on its website. UberX connects riders and drivers and has mostly been available in larger cities. It is already in use in Charlotte and Raleigh. The mobile app is linked to a credit card and replaces hailing a cab or arranging for a car service. Customers download the app and the nearest available driver picks them up. A base fee of $2.43 is charged, and the customer is charged $1.46 per mile and 30 cents per minute. Uber gets a 20 percent cut and the driver keeps the remainder. Drivers for the service are also needed in the new cities where Uber will be available. Drivers must be 21, pass a background check and have a car in good condition. Drivers can sign in and out as they're available, allowing them to set their own hours. Billy Guernier, Uber’s general manager of regional expansion, tells the newspaper that the goal is to eventually make Uber available statewide, which would be a first for the company. Uber launched in San Francisco in 2010 and has drawn criticism in many cities from those who say Uber and other rideshare services circumvent safety rules and other customer protections.