Social Venture Partners Charlotte Selects 10 Finalists from SEED20 Class of 2012 and Announces Judges Panel for March 6 Event

SEED20, the nonprofit social entrepreneur competition launched by
Social Venture Partners Charlotte, has just announced the ten
finalists from the inaugural SEED20 Class of 2012 to pitch their
innovative ideas for building social value in our community live
atSEED20Unleashed! on March 6 at 5:30 p.m. at UNC Charlotte's new
Center City Building. The finalists include:

· Charlotte Community ToolBank
· Charlotte Teachers Institute
· Circle de Luz
· Friendship Gardens
· Inspire the Fire
· Grub to Grub
· The Relatives
· Second Helping of Charlotte
· Silent Images
· Sow Much Good

The ten finalists will make three-minute "pitches" to a panel of five
judges, as well as an audience of business, academic and nonprofit
leaders, foundation executives, the media and others engaged in the
growth of social value in our region. Over 250 individuals have
already signed up for the event, which promises to be a great evening
of socializing, learning and celebrating the great social innovations
going on in the Charlotte Region. Tickets are on sale at
seed20.eventbrite.com.

The 2012 SEED20 judging panel includes:
• Molly Barker, Founder, Girls on the Run,
• Mike Elliott, Managing Partner, Noro-Moseley Partners,
• Beth Hardin, Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs UNC Charlotte,
• Dewey Norwood, Community Affairs Officer, Wells Fargo and
• Mark Peres, Founder and President, Charlotte Viewpoint.

Four grants totaling $30,000 will be awarded as follows:
• Judging Panel First and Second Place Awards of $15,000 and $7,500,
respectively;
• Coaches Award of $5,000; and
• People's Choice award of $2,500.

The ten finalists were selected after six weeks of rigorous coaching
sessions where the Class of 2012 honed the content and delivery of
their messages.

"This group of entrepreneurs brings a broad array of innovative and
powerful ideas to help all of us work toward an ever stronger and
healthier community," said Susan Daniel, Executive Director of SVP
Charlotte. "I look forward to hearing our 10 finalists share with a
broader audience on March 6th at SEED20Unleashed!"

SEED stands for Social Entrepreneurs Empowered, and the competition
aligns with SVP Charlotte's mission by helping to grow the region's
social entrepreneur community. SEED20 (www.seed20.org) is made
possible with investors Wells Fargo, Knight Foundation, and UNC
Charlotte as well as strategic marketing partner, Topics Education.
The competition was open to any individual or nonprofit organization
from Mecklenburg or bordering counties with a great idea and a
passionate commitment to seeing it impact social change.

About Social Venture Partners Charlotte
Social Venture Partners Charlotte (SVP Charlotte) is a diverse network
of engaged individuals who are addressing community needs through a
new model of giving – Venture Philanthropy. SVP Charlotte brings the
collective expertise, creativity, time and money of our members and
their networks to develop and support promising social initiatives and
nonprofits. In addition, SVP Charlotte strives to foster a community
of socially-conscious and well-informed donors through engagement with
Investees, collaboration with other SVP partners, and participation in
educational events. To learn more, please visit www.svpcharlotte.org.

Free, Lifetime Web Conferencing and Collaboration Tools Offered by BigMarker.com

BigMarker.com (www.bigmarker.com), the social network for Communities,
is having a giveaway of lifetime proportions.Anyone who creates a
Private Community on BigMarker before March 1st, 2012 will retain that
Community for life, free of charge. Whether members wish to use a
Private Community now or later, anyone who upgrades before March 1st
will keep the Private Community, free of charge, forever.

"[BigMarker's] real secret is not in its affordability or its video-
conferencing platform, but in its uncanny ability to help us manage
our team's progress in between Conferences," said Tracey Patterson,
President and COO of Powered by Action (www.poweredbyaction.org),
"BigMarker has become a collaboration tool that makes the day-to-day
easy, so we can focus more on our mission."

BigMarker is ideal for Communities attempting to make a difference on
a budget:
· Meet anytime in the Virtual Conference Room
· Meet face-to-face, one-on-one, one-on-many, or many-on-many
• Streamline project management by creating, assigning, and
prioritizing tasks
· Share files
· Touch base regularly, outside of a Conference, with the
Community Bulletin
· Chart progress with the Task Timeline and Community Calendar
· Send Community newsletters with updates and announcements
· Send Kudos to encourage and thank fellow members

"We strongly believe in the power of Communities, and have made it our
mission to provide Communities everywhere with the tools to make a
difference," said Joe Yeoman, BigMarker's Outreach Coordinator. "And
because we believe in this mission so strongly, we wanted to give
everyone a chance to benefit from a free, lifetime Private Community."

Anyone who creates a Private Community on BigMarker before March 1st,
2012 will retain that Community for life, free of charge. Private
Communities created after March 1st, 2012 will cost $19.95 a month.
BigMarker believes in open and accessible collaboration, and for this
reason has committed to always offering free Public Communities with
unlimited web conferencing and collaboration tools. To create a
Community, first sign up at BigMarker.com (http://www.bigmarker.com/signup
).

About BigMarker:
BigMarker.com is the social network for Communities. Based on the
belief that anyone can make a difference, BigMarker's mission is to
equip Communities around the world with unlimited web conferencing and
collaboration tools, empowering anyone to make a visible and lasting
impact.
BigMarker launched in March 2011 and has been connecting people face-
to-face, across the globe, ever since. To join an existing Community
or create your own, please visit http://www.bigmarker.com.

INTECH Fire & Security, Serving Concord and Charlotte, Changes Name To Vialarm Security To Reflect Expansion

INTECH Fire & Security, a growing commercial and residential security
systems provider serving greater Charlotte and the Southeast from its
base in Concord, N.C., has changed its name to Vialarm Security as it
expands it services and markets.

"The name change is due to the significant expansion of our product
offerings, which include Managed Services, Private Data Portals and
the anticipated growth of IP (Internet Protocol) related services,"
said Mark Jones, CEO. "The new name and Vialarm.com website will
offer us the ability to deliver more information to all of our
customers, while improving our marketing ability. There will be no
change in management or ownership.

"The name change should also be perceived as a commitment from
management to continue the growth, stability and attention to detail
our customers have come to expect from our company over our nearly two
decades in business," Jones added, "making the Vialarm name the
cornerstone of our branding across our multi-state Southeastern market
area."

"The company will continue to operate in its current structure, and
our contracts and commitments will remain unchanged," Jones added.
"Web traffic to our existing domain www.intechnc.com is now being
forwarded automatically to the new Vialarm.com website. We hired a
professional firm to redesign the home page, navigation system and
other components, although the basic site contents remain the same."

Jones also unveiled a new company logo, featuring a classic shield to
symbolize security, and typography based on heraldic letterforms (see
photo).

The company was founded in 1989 by Mark Jones after serving seven
years in the U.S. Navy. It serves a number of leading banks and credit
unions throughout the Southeast, as well as numerous commercial and
residential customers. Vialarm currently has offices in Concord
(serving the greater Charlotte area), Raleigh, Atlanta and Orlando.
For more information visit http://www.vialarm.com

Dots Brings Early Spring Fashion to Charlotte

Local Charlotte fashionistas will have another option for trendy and
affordable styles with the grand opening of the newest Dots store. The
popular retailer, known to offer affordable women's apparel and
accessories, is now open at University Pointe Shopping Center, 5700
University Pointe Boulevard.

The University Pointe location is the fifth Dots store in the
expanding Charlotte market. The new store is a direct result of a
growing demand for fast-fashion at an affordable price. In total, the
nearly 5,000 sq. ft. store will employ 23 full- and part-time
positions in the community.

Shoppers can expect to find a premiere of the new Early Spring
collection and fashion trends for the upcoming season. Whether it's
colored denim, bright color blocking or a mix of animal prints, Dots
has the styles to prepare shoppers for the rise in temperature in
sizes 0-24.

"Spring is one of the most exciting seasons in the fashion industry
and we want to help women look and feel their best," said Jennifer
Marrara, marketing manager for Dots. "The new University Pointe store
will give us the opportunity to spread our fashion knowledge while
providing the opportunity for even more fashion-forward women to have
access to the trends they want at an affordable price."

Dots is the best kept secret among trend-savvy, price-conscious women
for career, casual and club apparel and accessories. Currently, Dots
has over 400 stores in 28 states. To find out more about the
University Pointe location and download coupons from the grand
opening, visit http://www.dots.com/GO/CharlotteNC/.

The New York Butcher Shoppe To Close; Owner Jed Kampe To Open New Concept in Bigger Location

The New York Butcher Shoppe, located at 2904 Selwyn Avenue, will close
its doors this weekend, as owner Jed Kampe prepares to open a new
concept in a larger location in May.

The yet-to-be-named restaurant will include a butcher counter,
prepared foods and a dine-in menu featuring hamburgers where all the
beef will be ground on-site throughout the day.

Kampe says, "There will be a lot of changes mostly in the dine-in
aspect, but nothing will change with regards to only using the highest
quality beef, chicken, pork and lamb. Once our ground beef became so
popular, I knew we had a unique opportunity to create an incredible
burger. Everything will be done under one roof and we will continue to
create the ground beef from all the various cuts we carry."

"I can't thank everyone enough who have supported our current
location, but in order to take this to a new level, I simply need more
space with a true kitchen. We look forward to announcing the location
as soon as we finalize the lease, but it won't be far away. I
definitely want to remain in the immediate area," he adds. "I
apologize for our brief down time, but the new location will allow us
to do so much more without losing site of quality and most certainly
the relationships we've had with our faithful customers."

All outstanding gift certificates will be honored in the new location.

The new location is being designed by Brent Baronofsky and brokered by
Adam Williams of Legacy Real Estate Advisors.

Commercial Cleaning Company Announces Charlotte as Hub For Expansion in 2012

Of the countless businesses slowed or crippled by the recent
recession, the commercial cleaning segment is one of the few to emerge
mostly unharmed, says Adam Povlitz, Vice President of Operations for
Anago Cleaning Systems. Facilities always need cleaning regardless of
the economy, and he says many veteran white-collar workers downsized
throughout North Carolina during the period are now viewing the
industry for its franchising and profit potential, as opposed to the
"less than glamorous" work perceived as involved.

Anago Master Franchise Owners are not in the cleaning business – they
are in the sales and marketing business. The Anago Master Owner has
the exclusive developmental rights to sell Janitorial or Unit
Franchises in a defined territory. Simultaneously, the Master sells
cleaning contracts, business to business and assigns them to those who
purchased a Unit Franchise.

Sheldon Mellon and Houston Harris are entrepreneurs who decided to go
into business for themselves, while not by themselves.

"I explored many franchise opportunities and landed on Anago for a
wealth of reasons," said Sheldon Mellon, co-owner of Anago of
Charlotte. "Anago had availability in my target area, it is in a
recession resistant industry, and it offers great scalability."

"With Anago, the business is owned and operated by real people who
actually do care about each of their franchisors and franchisees. It's
not just lip service with Anago; they mean what they say and say what
they mean," said Houston Harrison, co-owner of the Anago of Charlotte.
"We had a six month courtship and were won over to become the master
franchise of the Charlotte territory."

Prior to joining Anago as master franchise, Harris worked in the
advertising industry for several years and Mellon worked extensively
in the telecom industry. Both have started and bought companies in
their careers, and together, they've become business partners in
several ventures, such as advertising, marketing, graphic design,
mosquito control, real estate, and now commercial cleaning.

"We are thrilled to have Mr. Mellon and Mr. Harris join the Anago
family," Povlitz said. "Their strong experience in business
development and passion for success are qualities we look for in every
Master Owner who joins our system."

With over 30 locations and 2,200 Unit Franchises, Anago has somehow
remained under the radar. This has been a critical piece to the
brand's success. One prime example of the under-the-radar growth has
been in South Florida, where the brand has over 180 Unit Franchisees,
and in cities like Nashville, where the Master Franchisor awarded over
50 Unit Franchises in 2011.

"We plan on experiencing the same level of growth in Charlotte," said
Judy Walker, Vice President of Marketing. "We plan on making
Charlotte's offices cleaner, while adding more jobs and business
ownership opportunities."

According to Walker, only about 2 percent of all commercial cleaning
businesses are franchised operations, while the rest are "mom and pop"
firms lacking efficient systems, experienced management, and support
for field teams—if they even become that large. And while few small
cleaning firms see the benefit to switching to a franchised brand,
Facility Managers are eager to have insured professional crews that do
the work well on a consistent timely basis.

ABOUT ANAGO
Anago Cleaning Systems is a commercial cleaning franchise system
supporting over 30 Master Franchises and over 2,200 Unit Franchisees
in the U.S. and internationally. After years of refining procedures
and creating duplicable systems created in his conventional commercial
cleaning service, David Povlitz founded Anago in 1989 to help other
entrepreneurs open their cleaning businesses. Today, its program sets
the standard in U.S. commercial cleaning. Anago was ranked the fifth
fastest-growing franchise by Entrepreneur magazine in 2010 and 2011,
and ranked by Franchise Business Review as one of the best franchises
in franchisee satisfaction. Inc. Magazine has also listed Anago as one
of the top privately-held companies in the U.S. For further
information, visit itswebsite.
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Taylor Burke Home Furniture Available in Charlotte beginning March 6

Taylor Burke Home has announced that their rare and vintage-inspired
furniture and home accessories will be sold at Post & Gray, located in
Historic South End, beginning March 6th.

Owned by Interior Designer and Charlotte native Julianne Taylor,
Taylor Burke Home is the culmination of years of travel, cultural
experiences and a passion for all things beautiful. Taylor's exposure
to materials and architectural details used around the globe gives her
insight into picking the right furniture and accessories for your space.

Inspired by Taylor's extensive travels in Asia and Europe, the
collection includes Asian hand-painted furniture and accessories,
vintage industrial inspired furniture made of metal and wood, and
contemporary pieces in sleek leather and chrome. Additionally, an
exclusive line of upholstered chairs and ottomans designed by Julianne
Taylor will be coming later this summer.

"Taylor Burke Home is thrilled to be part of Post & Gray and looks
forward to bringing these worldly pieces back to Charlotte," Taylor
said, "Whether we are negotiating on the streets of Shanghai or the
back alleys of Paris, we continue to search the globe for the very
best to offer you."

"We are so excited to welcome Taylor Burke Home to Post & Gray. Their
pieces offer a fresh new look and coincide with the mission and
character of the business," said John Vieregg, owner of Post & Gray.

About Taylor Burke Home

Taylor Burke Home sells reasonably priced, rare, special and vintage
inspired furniture and home décor collected from travels, exotic
locations and years of cultural experiences. Each hand-picked item
offers a unique history and exceptional quality. Taylor Burke Home
believes beautiful furniture and home décor should not cost a fortune
and they continue to travel the world looking for the best, most
affordable pieces for you.

About Post & Gray

Post & Gray is a fresh new concept housing over 35 merchants in 7,000
sf. of unique warehouse space. Opened in March 2009, it is filled with
finds of all kinds for the home and garden. John and Kelley Vieregg,
owners of Interiors Marketplace, saw a need for a retail outlet where
individuals could sell their personal collections or collected
inventories and provide customers an opportunity to access the finds
made available. Post & Gray is located at 2139 South Tryon Street,
Charlotte, NC.

www.postandgray.com