Business Observer for the week of Dec. 29

Achievements and recognition

• Holmes Security Systems has been honored as one of four finalists for Business North Carolina magazine’s 2019 Small Business of the Year Award. The finalists were chosen from more than 145 small businesses across the state.

• The Cumberland County Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has promoted ABC Officer John Crawford to the position of chief of the Law Enforcement Division of the local ABC system. Crawford has a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is a certified public manager through the N.C. Office of Human Resources. He is retired from the State Bureau of Investigation with 30 years of service.

• Jesse H. Byrd, a retired CPA and founding member of Friends of the Cancer Center, has won the Mary Lynn McCree Bryan Leadership Award for his years of cancer patient advocacy. The award annually recognizes the person who best exhibits excellence in leading a Cumberland County charitable organization toward nonprofit best practices.

• Fayetteville Technical Community College’s surgical first assistant program has been awarded initial accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. The program is the first in North Carolina to receive such accreditation and the 11th in the nation.

In business

• Central Carolina Community College and Fayetteville State University have signed an agreement that permits CCCC associate degree graduates to complete an online bachelor’s degree at FSU at a total cost of no more than $10,000 in out-of-pocket expenses.

• House-Autry Mills of Four Oaks is acquiring the brands and assets of Captain Foods Inc., a seasoning and sauce company based in Edgewater, Florida. The history of House-Autry dates back to 1812 in Newton Grove.

On the job

• The Home Builders Association of Fayetteville has announced the newly elected board of directors that will serve in 2020. Directors are Brian Canady, Franklin Clark IV, Ned Johnson, Michael Pleasant, Gary Robinson, James Rose, Chris Shearin, Will Simpson and Ad Winters. Officers are Brian Walker, president; Ben Stout, president-elect; Jamie Godwin, vice president; Kristie Allen, secretary; Van Gunter, treasurer; and Patrick Smith, past president.

• Corine O.B. Warren has been named principal of Benjamin Martin Elementary School by the Cumberland County Board of Education. Warren has been an assistant principal in the Cumberland, Robeson and Gwinnett (Georgia) county schools since 2014. Her career in education spans nearly 25 years.

Grants

• Fayetteville State University has received a $300,000 grant from the United Negro College Fund to create the Liberal Arts Innovation Center with a STEM focus.

• The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority has approved a $400,000 grant for Robeson County to support the expansion of a building in Lumberton. The grant will allow Rempac Foam LLC to add 50,000 square feet to the facility, create 40 jobs and invest $3,893,185.