Triangle, North Carolina.  Insomniac Games Looking For Lodgings.  Cary’s Epic Games has enjoyed tremendous success with its video games and game engines worldwide.  Other video games companies have followed Epic to the Triangle to the point where the Triangle is becoming one of the nation’s leading video games development centers.  Insomniac Games of Burbank, California has decided that the video games climate in the Triangle is to their liking and is looking for a location in which to open a new office.  Their plan is to develop new games and existing brands.  Insomniac has 150 total employees.  Of these 25 to 30 of their game developers are scheduled to staff this areas facility.  They hope to have the office open by January of 2009.  The company has been in business for 14 years and has sold 28.5 million video games.  Mark Rein of Epic Games sees Insomniac’s move into the area not only as a good thing from the standpoint of strengthening this area as a core of the video games industry but also in the development of a greater creative environment for companies and people in the industry.

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: Marvmax@mindspring.com   Website: www.JohnFish.com

Raleigh, North Carolina.  INC adding jobs.  Drug Research jobs would average $62,690.  INC, a small privately held drug research company said it will add 1,100 jobs in Raleigh by 2011.  The company currently has 400 employees in Raleigh and 1,400 worldwide. 

During the depression the song was “Brother can you spare a dime”.  In North Carolina the new version is “Brother can you spare some water”.  Boy!  If you like sunshine come to the Triangle - or just about anywhere in North Carolina for that matter.  To say that the Triangle is desperate for water is to put it mildly.  You have to get primed in order to spit!  Which brings me to the point of this note.  I don’t pretend to be the brightest candle on the cake but city officials say that the twice weekly maximum for lawn watering may have to be expanded to a total ban.  Duh!  Hells bells it should have been a total ban at least two months ago!  I don’t think I like having my lawn look the color of pine straw anymore than anyone else does.  However, in a situation where we have been having no rain and with none in the prospect for the future how bright do you have to be to stop non-essential uses of water until we do have rain - and lots of it?!  As they say in the country, that’s locking the barn door after the horse is out.  Is anyone listening?  Probably not.

John Fish (919) 696-3474    Email:  Marvmax@mindspring.com   Website: www.JohnFish.com

Cary Kellogg plant to expand to 800 employees.  A number of this nation’s favorite favorite and Kellogg’s best selling “goodies” are produced at their Cary facility.  These favorites include Keebler and Cheez-It crackers, Animal Crackers, Austin cookie and cracker sandwiches, Apple Jacks and Pop-Tarts. As Kellogg wanted to expand to handle the growing demand for these products it was only natural that they go “where the game basically is” (my words not Kellogg’s).  Kellogg has 25 plants scattered throughout the U.S.  The addition of 180 workers in the Cary plant will make it their largest.  Incidentally, the plant was formerly owned by Austin Quality Foods which Keebler Foods purchased in 2000.  Kellogg then purchased Keebler in 2001.  It would seem that some double entendre comment about eating and being eaten is particularly apropos at this point but let’s get to where the rubber meets the road.  Kellogg will be adding a new shift at the plant.  They will begin to review applications for both managerial and hourly manufacturing jobs within the next few weeks.  If you have an interest in the managerial jobs you can apply through Kellogg’s web site (www.Kellogg.com. When that comes up try Clicking on Kellogg Careers. I don’t have the specific location so follow the bouncing ball).  If you are interested in a hourly manufacturing job contact the North Carolina state Employment Security Commission.  They are located at 700 Wade Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27605  Tel. (919) 733-3098.  I don’t know whether they are able to provide any information about the Kellogg jobs at this point or not. However, if not they can probably give you some idea as to how to follow up and when. 

John Fish (919) 696-3474  Email: Marvmax@mindspring.com  Website: www.JohnFish.com 

Raleigh, North Carolina - There are some two dozen Triangle companies producing learning games.  Included in the list are such companies as Epic Games, 3Dsolve, American Research Institute, Do2Learn and Virtual Heroes.

Corporate America is just beginning to realize the value of the products these companies produce.  I find that surprising when you consider the vast number of “how to” films and videos that have been done during the last 50 or 60 years; same deal - different package.  Some of the “game” software being produced in the Triangle trains cadets in land navigation and basic infantry tactics.  Ciscso Systems and Cold Stone Creamery have had simulations created to instruct employees in network assembly and how to make a top notch sundae.

Do2Learn creates games for children who have fetal alcohol syndrome and severe autism.  Epic Games, which has the smash hit video game Gears of War, has also produced “My Yard” in which Buddy the dog teaches children not to leave the yard or go into the street.  Call it games or “serious games” it is big business in its relative infancy and the sky is truly the limit for the potential uses.

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: Marvmax@mindspring.com   www.JohnFish.com

Garner, North Carolina.  It is important for those of you who are investors, or interested in becoming investors, in the Triangle area to keep abreast of what acreage in the various areas of the Triangle sells for.  71 acres off U.S. 401 close to Pinewinds Drive in northwest Garner was just purchase by the WLA Garner Retail LLC for $3.5 million. This subsidiary of WRS Inc. in Aiken, S.C. develops shopping centers for Wal-Mart. 

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: marvmax@mindspring.com   Website: www.JohnFish.com

Raleigh, North Carolina.  In a deal just completed, Developers Diversified, an Ohio REIT purchased a 307 property portfolio from the Inland Retail Real Estate Trust.  Of these properties, 12 are shopping centers in Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Johnston counties.  The area properties in question are: Chatham Crossing in Siler City      (32,000 square feet), South Square in Durham (89,622 square feet), Meadowmont Village Center in Chapel Hill     (132,857 square feet), Capital Plaza in Wake Forest (46,793 square feet), Clayton Corners in Clayton (125,653 square feet), Sexton Commons in Fuquay-Varina (49,097 square feet), Mill Pond Village in Cary (84,364 square feet), Circuit City in Cary (27,891 square feet), and the Raleigh properties of Alexander Place (143,073 square feet), Eckerd-Perry Creek (10,908 square feet), Capital Crossing (83,248 square feet), and Wakefield Crossing      (75,927 square feet).  This expands Developers Diversified’s portfolion in the Triangle to nearly 2.5 million square feet.

John Fish (919) 696-3474  Email: marvmax@mindspring.com  Website: www.JohnFish.com

Triangle Incorporations Increase. New incorporations in the counties that comprise the Triangle area (Wake County, Durham County, Orange County, etc.) were up again in August.  They totaled 1,733.  Compared to one year ago the increase is more than 11 1/2%. 

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: marvmax@mindspring.com   Web Site: www.JohnFish.com