Text Box: 2008 Chamber Officers, Directors:
 
Chairman  
Steve Padgett
 
Chair-Elect  
Mark Hudson
 
Secretary
Larry Fox
 
Treasurer
Shannon Kennedy
 
Past Chairman
Roger Holland
 
Board of Directors
Ted Alexander
Suzanne Amos
Janet Berry
Dr. Bruce Boyles
Lisa Carpenter
Larry Corry
Darlene Davis
Charlie Holtzclaw
Dr. Linda Hopper
Kitty Hoyle
Mark Hudson
Michael Johnson
Allen Langley
David Schweppe
Seth Stevens
Dr. Steve Thornburg
Rick Washburn
John Young

Text Box: InterAction
Text Box: Hospice "Sunset Over The Gorge" Fundraiser
To assist financially in providing services, Hospice Cleveland County is offering a unique fundraising opportunity and hopes you will be involved.  Purchase a ticket for a chance to win a “24” x 48” Phillip Philbeck enhanced print worth $2,000.  The print entitled “Sunset Over The Gorge” was donated by the artist and framed by The Victorian Rose Studio of Photography.
 
Tickets are $10 each and available at the following locations:
 
       Carolina Trophies                                                                           Cleveland County Arts Council
       Cleveland County Chamber                                                      Dellingers Jewel Shop
        Education Station                                                                         Fidelity Bank – Kings Mountain
        First National Bank (walk-in branches)                                   Georgio’s Mediterranean Cuisine
        Hospice Cleveland County                                                        Mike’s Flowers & Gifts
        Mountain First Bank                                                                       Ora Super Market
        Patrick Senior Center                                                                   Shelby Camera & Video
        Shelby Savings Bank                                                                     Victorian Rose Photography Studio
        Victoria-Stephen                                                                           Wright’s Jewelry
        Roger’s Pontiac-Cadillac-Buick                                                The Fashion Corner (Lawndale)
        The Grapevine (Kings Mountain)
 
For additional information please call 704-487-4677 or visit our website at www.hospicecares.cc.  The drawing will be held May 9th, 2008, just in time for Mother’s Day.  Hospice Cleveland County exists to provide high quality skilled compassionate care and support for patients with life-limiting illness, their families, and the community, regardless of ability to pay.  If you would like to know more about Hospice Cleveland County please visit our website at www.hospicecares.cc or contact us at 704-487-4677.
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YMCA Community Prayer Breakfast
SHELBY –The Cleveland County Family YMCA will host the 2008 YMCA Community Prayer Breakfast, Tuesday, April 8th at the Dover Foundation YMCA in Shelby, NC. The key note speaker this year will be Mr. Dan Cathy, President and Chief Operating Officer of Chick-fil-A.

Since 2001, Dan has served as the president and chief operating officer of Chickfil-A, Inc., and he has personally challenged himself with upholding Chick-fil-A’s efforts to provide genuine, heartfelt hospitality, and ensuring that customers have an exceptional dining experience when visiting a Chick-fil-A Restaurant. In his quest to provide customers with “2nd Mile Service" (exceeding even the highest expectations of a typical fast-food restaurant), Dan has defined a special role for himself – humbly saying, “I work in customer service.”
Rather than leading from his corporate office in Atlanta, Dan chooses to spend the majority of his time traveling to the chain’s growing family of Restaurants and interacting with Chick-fil-A’s committed team of Restaurant Operators and team members. His actions stem from a belief that working in the field provides a clearer understanding of the ever-evolving wants and needs of Chick-fil-A customers, and leading from the front line also enables him to personally convey his servant spirit across the chain.
The majority of his travels include participating in Grand Opening ceremonies for new Chick-fil-A Restaurants. In yet another example of how he keeps in tune with customers and employees, Dan attended numerous Restaurant openings last year, spending the night in Restaurant parking lots along with hundreds of customers who were vying for a chance to win free Chick-fil-A food for a year as part of a special customer focused promotion the chain conducts in conjunction with new Restaurant openings.
Reflecting on these experiences, Dan notes, “I’m having the most fun I have ever had at Chick-fil-A.” The public is invited to this wonderful breakfast event. The serving line will open at 6:30 am with the program beginning at 7:15 am. The breakfast will be catered by the local Chick-fil-A restaurant. Tickets are on sale now for $12 per person or $80 per table of eight. Seating is limited. Tickets may be purchased at the Kings Mountain Family YMCA, Dover Foundation YMCA, Boiling Springs YMCA or Chick-fil-A of Shelby. 
For more information call the YMCA at 704-484-9622. Contact Person: Shannon Hovis, shovis@clevecoymca.org
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Cliffside Modernization
 Key Messages:
·          On Jan. 29, 2008, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Division of Air Quality issued a final air permit for the new 800-megawatt advanced clean coal unit planned at Cliffside Steam Station, about 50 miles west of Charlotte. 
·          The Cliffside modernization brings new jobs, cleaner air and a first-of-its-kind carbon mitigation plan to North Carolina.
 
o         Receipt of the final air permit is the final milestone prior to beginning construction of the new unit. Construction is expected to commence immediately, including pouring concrete for the chimney/scrubber stack which is shared between Units 5 & 6 and beginning Unit 6 excavation work.
o         The project will receive $62.5 million federal tax credit for advanced clean coal technology, benefits that will be passed on to customers
o         $1.8 billion – estimated cost of construction; $600 million estimated AFUDC
o         1,600 construction jobs for 4-year construction
o         $100 million annual construction budget
o         20-30 full-time jobs 
·          The modernized Cliffside facility (including the construction of a new 800-megawatt unit, installing a scrubber on unit 5 and retiring units 1-4) will generate more than twice the electricity of the existing plant but will emit much fewer emissions than the existing Cliffside units today.
o         At Duke’s request, the final air permit has more protective emissions limits for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide than required by state or federal law. 
o         Mercury limits set by DENR are also more stringent than federal limits. 
o         Cliffside Unit 6 will be one of the cleanest and most efficient coal units in the country. 
·          Building the new unit includes a first-of-its kind carbon mitigation strategy. Once the new unit comes online in 2012, Duke Energy will retire four older, less efficient units capable of generating approximately 200 megawatts at the Cliffside site. 
o         Duke Energy has also agreed to a scheduled retirement of 800 additional megawatts of older, less efficient coal capacity in North Carolina. Previously, the company had committed to retire up to 800 megawatts only if it achieved an equivalent amount of energy efficiency savings. The carbon mitigation plan, which is part of the 
permit, removes the energy efficiency contingency and schedules the 800-megawatt retirements as follows:
o         350 megawatts by December 31, 2015
o         200 additional megawatts, for a total of 550 megawatts, by December 31, 2016
o         250 additional megawatts, for a total of 800 megawatts, by December 31, 2018. 
·          Duke Energy has also committed to take additional actions to render Cliffside unit 6 carbon neutral by 2018.These actions may include energy efficiency, carbon free tariffs, purchase of credits, domestic and international offsets, additional retirements or reduction in fossil fuel usage as carbon free generation becomes available, and carbon reduction through development of smart grid, plug in hybrid electric cars or other carbon mitigation projects. These actions, with appropriate cost recovery, will require approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission and include input from DENR’s Division of Air Quality.  
                  Duke will also build Cliffside unit 6, to the extent practical, to accommodate the 
                  installation and operation of future carbon control technologies

Text Box: March 2008

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Athena Award Winner

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