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Biz Briefs

A Garden Party

Wedding bells in your future? Then you’ll want to check out The Hall and Gardens at Landmark‚ an exquisite wedding and special events venue.

In addition to weddings and receptions‚ The Hall and Gardens at Landmark hosts corporate luncheons and training seminars‚ chamber of commerce events‚ holiday dinners and leadership conferences.

“We have beautiful gardens where we do the weddings‚” says The Landmark’s Bobbie Turner.

The elegant gardens feature three bronze fountains and two waterfalls and can seat up to 400 guests. The reception hall inside the French Chateau-style building includes a men’s lounge and ladies’ dressing room‚ in addition to the fully equipped catering kitchen and separate buffet room.

“We provide tables‚ chairs‚ linens‚ silver – even a moveable dance floor‚” Turner says. “And we offer planning services.”

Corporate clients appreciate the relaxed setting for business events‚ Turner says. “We also have audiovisual capabilities‚ with a projector and drop-down screen for presentations.”

Tuned in to the County

If you watch television‚ talk on a cellular telephone or use wireless Internet technology‚ chances are you have used products made by Andrew Corp.‚ global manufacturer of telecommunications infrastructure products.

The branch in Smithfield makes satellite antennas for the home-television and commercial communications-systems markets.

Illinois-based Andrew Corp.’s original encounter with Smithfield came when it acquired the assets of Channel Master‚ then operating in the former Sylvania facility.

“Andrew’s original intent was to exit this building because the building was bigger than we needed‚” says Brian Sawyer‚ Andrew’s director of project management.

But when the company looked at the valuable workforce and location‚ it decided to stick around.

“It’s not difficult to get anywhere from the airport in Raleigh‚” Sawyer says. “You also have good access to I-95 for distribution. And we’re not far from ports for import and export‚ so it’s a good location logistically.”

The company currently employs 260 workers at its Smithfield plant‚ but that number will likely grow.

“We’re continually evaluating opportunities to bring other business into this facility‚” Sawyer says. “There’s a lot more capacity for growth here.”

Start Your Engines

Manheim Aycock Auto Auction has gone high-tech. The eight-lane‚ 100-acre facility‚ located off Interstate 95 near Kenly‚ sells cars to buyers online and on-site‚ using simulcast technology.

“Dealers log on at their home offices‚” Aycock Manager Ellie Johnson says. “Cars are driven into the showroom at Kenly‚ where cameras broadcast the auctions. The dealers can see the cars and hear the auctioneer and place their bids online in real time. It’s all very high-tech.”

Originally opened by Johnson’s father‚ the late Kenneth Aycock‚ in 1984‚ Aycock Auto Auction was purchased by Manheim in 2001‚ making it part of the largest auction company in the world.

Although its customer base extends the length of the East Coast‚ the company remains dedicated to the local community.

“We raised over $52‚000 for the 2006 Relay for Life‚” Johnson says. “And we are involved in chambers of commerce in Kenly and Smithfield-Selma.”

The company employs 130 full-time and 200 part-time employees and brings an estimated 1‚300 visitors into the area each week.

If You Build It …

You can’t go very far in Johnston County without seeing something built by the E.D. Parker Corp. That’s because the general contracting firm has been building in Benson for 31 years.

The company has constructed everything from Harley-Davidson dealerships and banks to medical clinics and apartment complexes.

E.D. Parker Corp.’s workmanship earned six Building of the Year awards between 1997 and 2002‚ and its customer service keeps clients coming back again and again.

Over the years‚ commercial building needs have changed and grown‚ so much so that E.D. Parker has expanded operations all over North and South Carolina and Virginia and now employs anywhere from 300 to 400 people.

“We’ve been very fortunate‚” owner Dale Parker says. “We have wonderful employees that have been with us for many years‚ and this is a great area to be in business and to raise a family.”

From Pigs’ Feet to Party Supplies

Joyce and Byron Haynes remember the days when the North Carolina Paper Co. – founded by Byron Haynes’ grandfather back in 1919 – carried pigs’ feet and giant pickles in glass jars lining the storefront counter.

The couple moved their company from Raleigh to downtown Clayton in 1986‚ and these days‚ the retail showroom features cake-decorating‚ candy-making and party supplies and balloons.

“So many individually owned stores are gone now‚ so we’ve had to change our business to reflect that‚” Joyce Haynes says. “Retail sales are very important‚ but the bulk of our business is still wholesale.”

The company supplies independent restaurants‚ meat markets‚ day-care facilities and religious groups with all kinds of paper products. It carries paper paper‚ toilet paper and paper towels‚ and a variety of dispensers for them.

“We buy direct from manufacturers‚” Haynes says. “And we have salesmen that call on customers and trucks to deliver the goods.”

Story by Carol Cowan
Photo by Ian Curcio

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