A program of the Triangle Sports Commission, this event brought together the head coaches of the four Division I basketball programs in the Triangle, which included Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University, Roy Williams of UNC Chapel Hill, Sidney Lowe of N.C. State University and LeVelle Moton of N.C. Central University.
As we arrived, guests were invited to drop their business cards in a basket for a special drawing. The afternoon began with lunch being served. During lunch, everyone had a chance to bid on one of three autographed commemorative basketballs in a silent auction. The basketballs reflected the logos of all four schools and were autographed by each of the four coaches. One lucky person actually won a fourth ball from the business card drawing.
Following lunch, the panel discussion began with each of the coaches on stage together. Jeff Gravely, sports anchor for WRAL TV, moderated the panel.
Perhaps one of the more light-hearted facts we learned was some of the musical artists each coach had loaded on their iPods. The one surprise for me was Krzyzewski who said he has Morris Day on his iPod.
Aside from getting to know the coaches and what they had planned for the upcoming basketball season, all proceeds from the luncheon benefited charities selected by each coach.
Krzyzewski's charities included the Emily Krzyzewski Center and Inner City Durham. The Lineberger Cancer Center was the chosen charity for Williams. Lowe selected the Garner Road YMCA.
For Moton, growing up in the Triangle, the Raleigh Boys and Girls Club was a place that he spent time at as a child and thus he chose the organization as his charity, in addition to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
DDI annual meeting, awards
From the Sheraton Imperial it was a short drive back into the city for the Downtown Durham Inc.'s annual meeting and awards program. The event was at the Cotton Room at Golden Belt.
The sold-out affair attracted numerous city and county officials, downtown employees, residents and supporters of DDI's work. Kimberly Williams Moore of N.C. Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Deborah Craig Ray, who works for Durham County government, were among those in attendance.
The following companies and individuals received awards: Tucker Bartlett, Outstanding Board Member; McKinney, Outstanding Downtown Business; the Durham Amtrak Station by the City of Durham, Outstanding Downtown Renovation; Rogers Alley by Greenfire Development; Outstanding Downtown New Construction Project, the City of Durham for Durham Station; Outstanding New Construction Project, the Center Studio Architecture for Mangum 506; and the last Outstanding New Construction Project was awarded to the City of Durham and Durham County Government for the Durham Performing Arts Center.
The Visionary Award was given to Alan Delisle. Past recipients have included Jim Goodman, Morgan Imports and Andy Rothschild.
In addition to the awards, we also got a sneak peak at the new marketing video for downtown Durham. It featured a number of business owners, developers, and residents, all talking about what they liked best about being downtown in the Bull City.
Following the awards, there was a panel discussion featuring five individuals. They included John Replogle, the chief executive officer of Burt's Bees, Dorian Bolden, the owner of the soon to open Beyu Caffe, Bob Klaus, the general manager of the Durham Performing Arts Center, Tom Bonfield, Durham City Manager and Alice Sharpe, a downtown resident.
At the end of the luncheon, everyone was advised to look under their chairs for a chance to win a prize. Twenty-five lucky individuals received a prize pack which included coffee from Beyu Caffe, which is set for its "soft" grand opening in early November.
After the program, guests took the time to extend congratulations to the winning individuals and companies and exchange information. Steve Mangano, of Greenfire Development and Jeff Miller of Jones Lang and LaSalle took the time catch up after the event.
Likewise, Reginald Jones, who also works downtown, spoke with City Councilman Howard Clement.
It was a great way to celebrate the city and "the year that cool became hot."
Angela Ray is an actress, author and motivational speaker. For comments or tips on future events, e-mail her at Angela@mahoganydime.com.
