Brewington now is a certified Equipment Manager Professional.

He has worked in fleet-management for 39 years.

Construction, transportation and heavy-equipment trade magazine articles frequently quote Brewington. He talks about the advantages of owning equipment compared to leasing in this article from Public Works Online. He discusss the value of professional certifications in this article from Public Works magazine. And in this article from Grading & Excavator Contractor’s magazine, Brewington talks about using life-cycle cost analysis to make decisions on replacing equipment.

Brewington’s office is at 204 Grace St. in Mount Airy.

The Charlotte-based company had a quarterly loss of $1.8 million, or 6 cents per diluted share. In the year-ago period, Cato earned $12.7 million, or 40 cents per diluted share. Revenue fell 9 percent to $209.4 million. Sales at stores in operation for at least a year dropped 6 percent.

For the year, Cato earned $32.3 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, down 37 percent from $51.5 million, or $1.62 per diluted share, in fiscal 2006. Revenue declined 3 percent to $834.3 million in fiscal 2007. Comparable-store sales fell 4 percent.

“Our 2007 results reflect the difficult retail environment,” said CEO John Cato. “Our comparable-store sales decrease and the resulting markdowns were the primary contributors to the lower earnings.”

The company expects expects 2008 earnings of $21-27 million or 72 cents to 93 cents per diluted share.

Cato operates 1,318 stores in 32 states, including those in Elkin and Mount Airy.

Publisher Mike Milligan made the announcement Wednesday.

“We’re thrilled to be progressing to this next stage in our growth,” Milligan said.

The 5,200-square-foot space at 101 W. Lebanon St., formerly occupied by Interiors, will provide room for The Messenger to expand its operations, including business ventures such as web and graphic design, magazines, public relations and advertising placement services and its growing preprint advertising business, Milligan said.

The Surry Messenger is the first daily newspaper started in North Carolina in the past 40 years. It was founded by former employees of The Mount Airy News and Elkin Tribune after Heartland Publications bought those two newspapers. Now Surry County’s largest newspaper in terms of circulation, The Messenger is delivered free to 10,800 homes in Mount Airy, Dobson and Pilot Mountain in North Carolina and in Cana, Va.

Renovation of the new offices is expected to take about a month. The move to the new office may come in early April.

The month had the biggest spurt in economic activity since last summer.

The companies and LLCs are:

• Atlanta Retail Maintenance Inc., 1810 Frans Road in Westfield, registered by Timothy Burton.
• Crown/Brawley-WAG LLC and Mayhew Development Group LLC, both registered by Charles Patrick Crosby Jr. of The Crown Companies, 121 N. Crutchfield in Dobson
• Crown/Stuart LLC registered by Samuel L. Holder Jr., also of The Crown Companies in Dobson.
• DeSena Commercial Services LLC, 525 Holly Springs Road, Mount Airy, registered by Tom Desena.
• Elkin Creek Bar & Grill Inc., 2001 N. Bridge St., Elkin, registered by Graham Marquis Greene.
• Granite/Snowhill LLC registered by R. Craig Hunter, a principal at Granite Development Inc., 210 Airport Road, Suite 200, Mount Airy
• Heena Corporation of N.C. Inc. registered by Milankuma Shah, 106 Highland Ave., Mount Airy.
• InTrust Investments LLC, 1531 Hicks Drive #11, Mount Airy, registered by Carl Ray Whitaker.
• Joyce Properties of Mount Airy LLC, 136 W. Lebanon, Mount Airy, registered by Tammy Hull Joyce of 161 Guiness Lane, Mount Airy.
• Kirby Enterprises LLC, 913 Reeves Drive, registered by Tony Kirby.
• Kirkman Apartments LLC and Lily’s Land LLC, 1060 S. Main, both registered by Treva J. Kirkman.
• LHF Properties LLC, 564 E. Walker Road, Elkin, registered by Tony Litschke.
• Needham Holdings L.L.C., 508 W. Main, Pilot Mountain, registered by Linda Needham.
• Nightride International LLC, 1673 Old Highway 601, Mount Airy, registered by Bruce Smith Hodges.
• Piedmont Orofacial Myology Inc. registered by Natasha Bruner Sumner, 171 Stevenson Farm Lane, Ararat.
• Rockford Street LLC and Snowhill Drive LLC registered by William W. Juno, 701 W. Pine St., Suite 100, in Mount Airy.
• S&P Sit N Sun Inc., 4015 Reid Road in Tobaccoville, registered by John P. Pulliam, 143 W. Main in Pilot Mountain.
• Sweet Tones Music Inc., 339 Cristi Lane in Dobson, registered by Gerald Jacobsen.
• T.A.E.P. Inc., 4445 Westfield Road, Mount Airy, registered by Tracie Ann Pine.
• TG Golf LLC at Pilot Knob golf course, 450 Clubhouse Drive in Pilot Mountain, registered by Tom M. Gibson III.
• The MAST Group LLC registered by Tammy Ammen, 125 Oak Lane in State Road, with Audrey Adkins of 392 Cedarcreek Drive, also in State Road.
• Vaughn-Miller Enterprises LLC, 279 Hickory St., Suite 600, registered by Marissa V. and Jimmy Wayne Miller Jr. and Grayson G. Vaughn of 229 Emmanuel Church Lane, Mount Airy.
• Willow Floors & Cabinetry Inc., 404 Jarvis Plantation Road in Dobson, registered by Tina H. Swaim.

“They need to expand production,” said Ted Ashby, president of Surrey Bank & Trust and the current chairman of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership Inc., announced during the monthly meeting of the city-county Liaison Committee, a group of Mount Airy and Surry County public leaders who discuss joint projects.

Ashby said the unnamed company will need extra manufacturing capacity if it wins a U.S. government contract.

Ashby also reported that Duke Energy is looking for more sites where it can help local communities attract new businesses. One potential site is the Piedmont West Corporate Industrial Park on Mount Airy’s outskirts.

Ashby said Duke Energy officials plan to visit the industrial park, perhaps in the next 30 to 60 days.

The Surry Messenger reports more extensively on Duke Energy’s interest. Brook R. Corwin’s report is here.

“Accreditation recognizes chambers for their high standards of practice, full accountability to members and steadfast commitment to community,” said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “We applaud these organizations for advancing the principles of free enterprise.”

Accreditation is the only national program that recognizes chambers for their effective organizational procedures and community involvement. In order to receive accreditation, a chamber must meet or surpass minimum standards in its operations and programs, including areas of governance, government affairs and technology. It is the result of an extensive self-review that can take three to six months to complete. Local chambers are rated as Accredited, 3-Stars, 4-Stars or 5-Stars. The final determination is made by the Accrediting Board, a committee of U.S. Chamber board members.

President and CEO Betty Ann Collins said the Mount Airy chamber’s staff was elated when they heard the news

“It was quite a process and proved to be an eye-opener for everyone who worked toward the completion of the application,” she said.

“The Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce continues to act as the leading advocate for local business by providing valuable benefits and services in a financially responsible manner to our membership. Being recognized in the top four percent of all chambers in the United States and in the top 37 percent of national accredited chambers is quiet an honor. We thank the U.S. Chamber for recognizing the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce and the quality of our chamber’s efforts. We consider it a real honor to work with our business community and we pledge to continue to operate at the highest standards.”

The Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce is the largest business advocate organization in Surry County. It sponsors the Autumn Leaves Festival that annually attracts tens of thousands of visitors in October. Its office in the Mount Airy Downtown Historic District, a former bank building at 202 N. Main, also houses the community visitors center.

The chamber will have its annual awards luncheon at noon March 27 in Cross Creek Country Club.

John S. Clark Company presented the first $5,000 to the Surry Community College Foundation, which will benefit 10 students attending Surry Community College in Dobson. In coming weeks, the company will also present $5,000 checks at Forsyth Technical Community College, Guilford Technical Community College, Brunswick Community College and Cape Fear Community College.

Each school may award 10 scholarships, half of them to students selected from among the “non-traditional student” category; that is, adult students returning to school due to job loss or downsizing. All scholarship candidates must be full-time students majoring in a curriculum related to the construction industry; be residents of the college’s home county or an adjacent county; be able to demonstrate financial need; and fulfill several other criteria. Administrators at each college will handle the selection process and propose potential scholarship winners to John S. Clark Company.

“With the successes that John S. Clark has enjoyed over the decades, we are fortunate to be in a position to help one of our most valuable assets, our community-college students,” said Richard Vaughn, John S. Clark’s chief executive officer. “The scholarship program represents a continuum in our history of support to communities that sustain us and enrich our lives. And it is equally satisfying that the scholarships will contribute to helping displaced workers prepare for re-entry into the job market.”

John S. Clark Company is one of the oldest and largest general building contractors in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad and in the Southeast, and a leading provider of in-house design-build services. Founded in 1958, the company has its headquarters in Mount Airy and full-service offices in Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Wilmington.

The company is leasing space at 640 Riverside Drive in Mount Airy where it plans to invest $1.2 million to $1.8 million in machinery and equipment. The company will hire 10 employees initially.

Bodet & Horst produces knitted fire barriers for mattress manufacturers. The company utilizes computerized knitting machines and state-of-the-art robotics technology. The German company has operated a plant in High Point, N.C., since 2004. It now employs 65 people.

Citing this growth, Robin Rhyne, president of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership, said, “We believe that this company has the potential to grow and hire many more people in the near future.”

Jerry Pratt, president of Bodet & Horst, says the availability of experienced workforce in Surry County was a factor in the decision to locate the expansion here.

Pratt, who lives in Surry County, is familiar with the skill sets in the local labor market. He worked with the Surry County Economic Development Partnership and Mount Airy municipal officials for several months to find a suitable building for Bodet & Horst’s expansion.

Mount Airy City Manager Donald Brookshire said, “We are excited to have the company select Mount Airy. They represent the utilization of the workforce in a manner that benefits our community. It is a good fit for our citizens.”

Both the Mount Airy city commissioners and Surry’s county commissioners approved performance-based tax incentives to help Bodet & Horst establish the Mount Airy operations.

Here are the companies registered in January (we’ll post February’s report on March 7):

• Bucky’s Fudge LLC, registered by Michael Curtis Lowery of 153 Chilton Road, Ararat.
• Cave Real Estate Inc., registered by Joyce Watson Cave, 102 Watson Lane, Dobson. Cave is associated with Carolyne Anne Branch at Suite 104, 154 N. Renfro St., Mount Airy. Cave Real Estate previously was registered as an LLC.
• Clayton King Inc. registered by Clayton King, 512 Massey Road, Mount Airy. King’s business interests include heating, air conditioning and plumbing and repairing restaurant equipment including refrigeration systems.
• Double TT’s Conversions & Signs LLC, and registered by Thomas Umstead of 328 Hay St. and Tommy V. Sechrist of 308 E. Norman Road, Mount Airy.
• Fabrica Development Inc. registered by Tom Webb, 1219 W. Lebanon. Fabrica Development is the principal developer of the Borden Lofts project in Goldsboro that will convert the former Borden Manufacturing building (a structure on the National Register of Historic Places; it’s also known as the Goldsboro or Wayne Cotton Mills) into 65 condominiums. Webb’s other business interests include Old North State Winery and Scuppernong’s Restaurant in downtown Mount Airy.
• Granite REI Holdings Inc., registered by Monty K. Venables and Granite/Mayodan LLC, registered by R. Craig Hunter, both at Suite 200, 210 Airport Road, Mount Airy. Venables and Hunter are associated through Granite Development Inc.
• High Country Boats Inc., registered by James M. Robbins, 1887 Eldora Road, Ararat. The incorporator is attorney Hugh B. Campbell III of Mount Airy.
• Hillbilly Country Bar & Grill, 617 N. South St., registered by Kay and Glenn Boyles of 215 Johnson Creek Road in Ararat, Va. Remodeling work at the nightspot — formerly JT’s Sports Bar and more recently South Street Grill and Games — is under way. No opening date has been announced.
• Jessup’s Floor Covering and Interiors Inc. registered by Gilmer R. Jessup, 3170 Cook School Road, Pilot Mountain.
• Lynch Grading LLC registered by Ronnie Lynch, 225 Mountain Loop Road, Pilot Mountain.
• Niland Plumbing LLC at 1415 Fancy Gap Road registered by Josh Cox, 154 Jewell Court, Mount Airy. Cox’s partners include Ronald Niland, 300 Folly Farm Circle, and Robert P. Demcio, 306 Folly Farm Circle.
• PC-Mentor LLC registered by Phillip Fullerton, Unit 2, 119 Royal View Drive in Pinnacle.
• Pruitt Insurance Agency and Pruitt Land Company, both registered by Glenn S. and Wendy Pruitt, 181 Pruitt Farm Lane in Pinnacle.
• Ramey Investments LLC registered by Thomas Dewayne Ramey of 1008 Ramey Creek Road in Lowgap.
• Renaissance Environmental LLC registered by Robert Douglas Holyfield, 4844 Rockford Road in Dobson.
• Richmark Ventures LLC registered by Mark T. King, 571 Carson Road in Pilot Mountain, and Richard H. Layne of 903 Dodson Mill Road in Pilot Mountain.
• Silver Oak LLC registered by Michael Lee Harrell, 286 Farm Brook Road in Mount Airy, in association with Mark E. Randolph of Suite 205, 3288 Robinhood Road in Winston-Salem.
• The Healing House of God, 1214 Paynetown Road in Mount Airy, a religious corporation organized by Sandra and John E. Ford Jr. of 1718 Asherton Drive in Winston-Salem and Qushanta Ford of 301B Windsor Manor Way in Kernersville.

Insteel Industries is one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of steel wire reinforcing products for concrete construction applications. The company manufactures and markets prestressed concrete strand and welded wire reinforcement, including concrete pipe reinforcement, engineered structural mesh and standard welded wire reinforcement. Insteel’s products are sold primarily to manufacturers of concrete products used in nonresidential construction.

Headquartered in Surry County, North Carolina, Insteel operates six manufacturing facilities in the United States.