PRESS RELEASE from Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, July 26, 2012 
Contact:
Suzi Emmerling
Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee Announces Premier Sponsor, Companies Contracted for the Media Welcome Event
Charlotte, N.C. –Today at the North Carolina Music Factory, the Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee announced the premier sponsor, logistics manager, entertainment management team, catering company, audio visual services team, and rental company for Charlotte in 2012’s Media Welcome Event. The event will be held on September 1 and will serve as the official welcome to the City of Charlotte for the members of the media coming from across the United States and around the world.
Time Warner Cable was announced as the event’s premier sponsor. The telecommunication company employs more than 5,000 North Carolinians in Charlotte at its second-largest corporate campus and has 1.7 million customers in the state.

“We are proud to partner with Time Warner Cable as the premier sponsor of this event,” said Dr. Dan Murrey, Charlotte in 2012 Executive Director. “This partnership ensures that we will make the most of this incredible opportunity – an international media spotlight brought by the very people we will be welcoming here at the Music Factory.”
 
Media credentialed to cover the 2012 Democratic National Convention will be invited to the Media Welcome Event at the NC Music Factory. This venue was selected both for its capacity and for its story that is illustrative of the spirit of Charlotte. Father and son Rick and Noah Lazes recognized an opportunity to transform an aging, unused textile mill into a 37-acre entertainment district on the edge of Uptown Charlotte. The NC Music Factory offers 14 world-class venues, from upscale dining, to comedy clubs, concert venues, intimate bars, and outdoor courtyards.
 
The Media Welcome Event will demonstrate how Charlotte takes a modern approach to its rich history and entertain the media with a variety of local and national performers.
 
Charlotte in 2012 and the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) adopted a diversity contracting policy for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The policy states that the organizations have a goal of spending at least one-third of its funding on contracts and projects with Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), Women Business Enterprises (WBEs), Disability-Owned Businesses, LGBT-Owned Businesses, and Veteran-Owned Businesses. Seven out of the ten selected partners are diverse: four of the selected partners qualify as MBEs and three qualify as WBEs.
 
All of the companies assembled to put together the Media Welcome Event are local and were registered in the vendor directory launched nearly one year ago by Charlotte in 2012. Their ties to the region will give convention visitors a flavor of Charlotte’s local businesses.
 
“These companies represent the high-quality, diverse business culture that is the base of our city’s economy. We look forward to partnering with them to create an event that is memorable and helps us set the stage for this historic convention,” said Mary Tribble, Charlotte in 2012 Deputy Executive Director of Hospitality and Events.
 
The following firms were awarded contracts for the Media Welcome Event:
 
Logistics Manager
 
JHE Production Group: This 25-year-old company is based in Harrisburg, NC and has received recognition for excellence in special event planning thanks to its proven record in strategic event planning, presentation, and execution of large-scale special events.
 
Entertainment Team
 
Blumenthal Performing Arts: This important community partner is centered in Uptown Charlotte and home to outstanding arts organizations such as the Charlotte Symphony, Community School of the Arts, and the North Carolina Dance Theatre. Blumenthal Performing Arts is donating their time and service for this project.
 
Imagine Music Group: Tina Gibson, a lifelong Charlottean, formed this small, local business in 1998. The company specializes in providing professional live entertainment for any function or venue.
 
Key Signature: Brandon Crumpton founded this Charlotte company three years ago.  Prior to starting Key Signature, Brandon worked in the entertainment and events industry for 15 years. The company has annually programmed music for the large-scale event Matthews Alive for the last four years.
 
Catering Company
 
Something Classic: Something Classic has been one of the top companies in the food industry in the region since 1989. They encompass full-service event styling and catering, three sandwich boutiques, one children’s café, two farm-to-table restaurants, and have established their own green action program called The Green Goddess Alliance.
 
Audio Visual Services Team
 
Total Event Production: The Charlotte-based company is one of the largest in the region specializing in high-quality event design, management, and production support. They use cutting-edge technology and equipment along with a talented team of event experts. 
 
Rutherford Media: Steve Rutherford started Rutherford Media, a certified small business, in 2003 in the basement of his home producing documentary films. Nine years later, the company has grown to be a full service digital signage and audio video production company in Charlotte.
 
Advanced Media Network: The company has been providing audio visual production services to the Charlotte area for four years.  This Minority Business Enterprise has already been a welcome addition to the mid-Atlantic event industry and continues to grow.
 
Cecil & Company: Based in Shelby, N.C., Cecil & Company is a small, minority-owned business owned by Cecil Partlow. Cecil & Company offers DJ and emcee services and has been a part of various Charlotte events for the last 20 years.
 
Rental Company
 
Party Reflections: The company is a woman-owned, family run company that has served both North and South Carolina since 1958. Their extensive inventory allows them to provide quality equipment at reasonable prices with a great personal attention to detail.
 
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The Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee is a non-profit, non-partisan organization established by the city of Charlotte to fulfill obligations of the master contract with the Democratic National Convention Committee. In addition to those obligations, Charlotte in 2012 works to engage the citizens of Charlotte and the Carolinas through business and civic opportunities, ensure that the Convention leaves a positive lasting legacy, and tell Charlotte and the region's story to the nation and the world. For more information, visit us online at www.charlottein2012.com.

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Presidential Candidate Gary Bauer congratulated Governor Scott Walker for his win in Wisconsin's recall election, calling it "another sign that taxpayers will award office holders ready to do the hard work of reigning in out-of-control government spending."

Bauer, the chairman of the Campaign for Working Families,  made the following statement:

"I congratulate Governor Scott Walker for his hard-fought victory tonight, and most especially for having the courage of his convictions to fight the good fight. But the victory in Wisconsin is not Scott Walker's alone.  It is a victory for the hard-working taxpayers of Wisconsin, who foot the bill year after year.  It is a victory for common sense over powerful special interests.  It is a victory that taxpayers in every state can celebrate.  It is a victory, yes, even for some union members.

"Since Gov. Walker's reforms were enacted, tens of thousands of state employees have opted to keep more of the money they earn rather than let the public employees union siphon off their hard-earned dollars.  In other words, once given the choice, more than half of the public employees union's members decided that they didn't need the union.  These reforms will pay real dividends for the taxpayers of Wisconsin.  They are the real winners tonight.

"The recall election is a sign of good things to come.  The power of the Big Labor bosses has finally been checked, not just in Wisconsin, but also in scores of other states across the country.  More governors, legislators and taxpayers will be inspired to stand up against the liberal labor unions and do what is truly in the best interests of their communities.  Wisconsin's 10 Electoral College votes are now in play, and the anti-tax, small government movement that swept the country in 2010 is about to sweep Barack Obama out of office in 154 days!"

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1drYR)