Andy & Opie go fishing. "The Andy Griffith Show" is something we love to claim in NC. Some other things, not so much. But times have changed in Greensboro.

For those who are unfamiliar with Greensboro, particularly those from far flung parts of the country, it might be easy to think we are a city that resembles something between what one would see on the Andy Griffith Show and a Tennessee Williams play. And while we have our share of goofie characters, front porches and long, hot summers, we aren’t a city of homogeneous citizens.

In addition to our diverse general population, there is the fact that City Council just hired a new city manager, Rashad Young.

There are a few points to be made about Mr. Young’s hiring.

One is that he’s black. Another is that he joins our mayor, Yvonne Johnson, who is Greensboro’s 1st black mayor. And Mo Greene, superintendent of Guilford County Schools and Tim Bellamy, Greensboro Chief of Police, both black.

But the biggest point may be that the race of these elected and appointed professionals isn’t considered big news around here. (Well, it might be to a few. Like I said, we have characters, and we have folks with little character. Which means we’re like every other city in the world.)

But in general, we’ve continued to go about our respective lives, whether enjoying a cold local brew at Natty Greene’s, attending a silent protest against a regional conference of neo-Nazi’s held here (who knew they held conventions?) or just heading down to the ol’ fishing hole.

And, by the way, it’s still not a good idea to put a cat on a hot, tin roof. Then you get anything but a ’silent’ protest.

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

Tags: DigTriad, Greensboro City Council, Greensboro Police Department, Guilford County Schools, Mo Green, Natty Greene's, Rashad Young, Tim Bellamy, Yvonne Johnson

Photo Credit: Jerry Wolford (News & Record)

The topic of FedEx coming to Greensboro has been news for a long, long time. And it’s been noted in this space a few times.

Time for another update.

Looks like the package delivery company’s operations will be ready to hit the road – or sky – running as soon as the economy is clearly on the way back up. The huge construction job of getting an additional runway in place to accommodate the planes and all the safety and navigation systems required are just about done.

Not only will this give FedEx the facility it needs for operations, but the enhanced systems will help Greensboro’s Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI)the goods it needs to give Charlotte and Raleigh a run for their money.

This News & Record article about it gives good details.

And, not for nothing, but didn’t I tell you to learn the work ‘aerotropolis’? Cause, like I wrote before, whatever that is, we’re one.

_____________________________________________________________
The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

Tags: aerotropolis, FedEx, FedEx hub in Greensboro, News & Record, Piedmont Triad International Airport

Some of the demon treadmills at the Bryan Family YMCA in Greensboro

We may not love to do time on a treadmill but Greensboro is surely glad to have Precor as a new member of our business community. And the jobs that will be coming will be a blessing to about 140 folks. The new facility at Rock Creek Center should be done by the end of the year. 2010 could mean new opportunities for job seekers.

So, while “no pain, no gain” is a popular saying, we’ll embrace Precor as that which will relieve some pain – and everyone can gain.

Now, where are my running shoes?

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

Tags: Bryan Family YMCA in Greensboro, Greensboro jobs, Guilford county jobs, Precor, The Business Journal

The view from my husband's plane. Somewhere over...somewhere.

I’ve written about this previously, but it’s time for an update on how Greensboro is fast becoming an aerotropolis.

Yes, it’s a word.

Aerotropolis list: Hong Kong, Chicago,  Amsterdam…Greensboro. Why not?

And of all the predictions one could make about what would be a major industry for the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina in general and Greensboro in particular, aviation might not have headed the list. Or made the top 20.

But here we are. A list of just a few of the reasons and companies that are adding up to Greensboro becoming a center for all things winged:

• FedEx Hub (slated to open in October 2009. One of only in the country)
• HondaJet
• TIMCO Aviation Services (Headquarters here as well as 600,000 sq ft maintenance facility)
• HondaJet engine facility (in Burlington, about 20 minutes east of Greensboro)
• Atlantic Aero (highly regarded Fixed Base Operator)
• Aerosphere Aviation Services (supplies parts for commercial & military aircraft)
• GTCC Aviation Maintenance Training (PDF)
• Greensboro Aviation (aircraft component repair & overhaul)

You can even see the plane that is known as Air Force One when the President is on board doing practice maneuvers at PTI as well as the occasional ginormous C5:

So, keep an eye on the skies – and this spot – to see what happens next.

_____________________________________________________________
The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

Tags: Aerosphere Aviation, aerotropolis, Air Force One over Greensboro, C5 touch and go at Greensboro, FedEx hub in Greensboro, Greensboro Aviation, HondaJet, News & Record, Piedmont Triad International Airport, PTI, TIMCO

photo credit: Greensboro Daily Photo (www.greensborodailyphoto.com)

Back in the day there were called Victory Gardens. Today some have called them Recession Gardens, which grates on my optimist’s ears.

Let’s call them our Getting Back To All That’s Good And Taking Back Control of Our Lives Gardens.

By any other name, the tomatoes are are as sweet – and prodigious in their output. Mint, onions, blueberries, squash, cukes and zukes. Many people are planting vegetable gardens in their front yards or next to the driveway. Five gallon buckets can be seen, wooden poles sticking out, with all manner of vines climbing skyward. Downtown, uptown, on roofs, on front stoops. Herbs on window sills or on patios. People are keeping bees in their yards. Making compost bins out of huge plastic drums or discarded wooden pallets.

There are large scale urban gardens in Greensboro, where dedicated and creative folks are putting there hands – and shovels and rakes and trowels – where their mouths are, community involvement-wise. [UPDATE: The folks over at Greensboro Daily Photo just posted info about another community garden on their site. And you can read about their personal garden in the comments section for this post]

So, the topic for this week’s poll: Are you growing food at your house?

Hope so.

[UPDATE: This story was just posted on Public Radio Station 88.5 WFDD about this very topic and an urban garden in Winston-Salem (just about 30 minutes down the road from Greensboro). There's audio if you'd like to take a listen]

Tags: 88.5 WFDD, Greensboro Daily Photograph, Greensboro Urban Garden, News & Record, WFDD segment on urban gardening

Photo by Steve Barrett

[UPDATE: The US Bicycling Hall of Fame will be going to Davis, CA. But Greensboro did well to become one of two sites considered, especially taking into account Davis' rich bicycle history.]

Greensboro has long been host to a wonderful bicycle race, the Carolina Cup. It’s held each year at Country Park and draws pros from around the country as well as fine local riders. My husband has competed in the race, years ago.

And now we may become the new home of the U.S.Bicycling Hall of Fame. An article in the News & Record details information about that.

All this, along with slowly expanding bike lanes around town and enthusiastic local riders is making Greensboro quite the place for cycling.

Hmmm. Colorful jerseys. Snug cycling shorts. Strong calf muscles and thighs. It’s about time for my husband to get back in the saddle.

But that’s a topic for another post.

Tags: Bicycling Hall of Fame, Carolina Cup Bike Race, Greensboro Country Park, Greensboro News & Record, Greensboro Velo Club

UNC's Tyler Hansbrough shoots during Thursday's game at Greensboro Coliseum. Credit: Jerry Wolford / News & Record

In case my readers in other parts of the country are wondering if the “Greensboro” that is written at the edges the floor of 1st round NCAA basketball tournament games is the same Greensboro about which I write, it is.

Greensboro is – among other things – a college round ball town. We’re so close to so many famed programs that it’s no surprise.

But you are likely to see yard banners and those little flags people fly outside their car windows for schools all over the region: Clemson, Virginia Tech, U of Virginia and, of course, NC State, Wake Forest (just 35 minutes away in Winston-Salem) and Duke and Carolina.

I don’t profess any favorite team. But there is that whole question about if God isn’t a Tarheel, why is the sky Carolina Blue?

But that’s a topic for another post.

Anywho, Greensboro does a good job of hosting the NCAA and will be doing the same for the ACC tourney several times in the next few years.

Get your car flags ready.

Tags: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro News & Record, Jerry Woford, NCAA Basketball Tournament

My writing of a recent post about how spring comes early around here was apparently enough to talk a snow storm into existence. Loads of folks without power. Schools and businesses closed.

But it sure was purty.

So, you’re welcome.

(CREDIT: Jerry Wolford/News & Record)

You can see more photos here.

And here is some video:

Tags: Gerensboro snow storm, Greensboro weather, Jerry Wolford, News & Record

Credit: H. Scott Hoffmann / News & Record

[UPDATE: The addition of a 3rd runway at Piedmont Triad International Airport is nearly complete. It was built to accommodate the new FedEx hub. Here's a link to a Fox8 News story about it. Note use of the word "aerotropolis". Memorize it. Greensboro is becoming one.]

You may be a aware that for generations in Greensboro “Cotton Was King”. There was even a fine hotel named the King Cotton. But that building the textile industry itself, are memories.

The next logical industry for Greensboro is, of course…..aviation??

Greensboro has quietly become a center for many things airplane oriented (including my husband, but that’s a story for another post). And a prime example of that is the fact that HondaJet is opening it’s facility here. They’ve exceeded the hiring numbers they had projected and are talking of producing more jets than initially planned.

In addition to HondaJet there is airplane maintenance facility, TIMCO, supply house Aerosphere Aviation, and the coming FedEx sorting facility is preparing to open at Piedmont Triad International Airport. Greensboro is also in the running for aFedEx hub.

How did all this come to be in the land of cotton? I really don’t know, or I’ve long forgotten. But look this way. Look this way, look this way, to Dixieland – if you want to find an expanding industry.

Tags: Aerosphere Aviation, aerotropolis, FedEx, Fox8 News, Greensboro, HondaJet, Piedmont Triad International Airport, TIMCO

Greensboro has been visited annually by the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus for as many years as I can remember. Often the Elephant Walk from the train station to the Coliseum is the biggest “outside the three rings” spectacle.

This year there was another.

The Greensboro Children’s Museum (watch this space for an upcoming profile) became center stage for the clowns.

As images are all that are needed to relate how great it was, I’ll stop typing now.

Tags: Circus Clowns, Greensboro Children's Museum, Greensboro Coliseum, Ringling Brother Circus. Greensboro News & Record