"This is an unusually employee-centered company. I wanted to help," Jeffus says. She did some checking in Raleigh and found that the N.C. General Statutes Commission was interested in working on the issue. She began to pursue the issue through a friend who monitors that committee and, with Rep. William Culpepper, co-sponsored the House bill to allow ESOPs to hold all stock in a professional corporation.

     The bill was passed by the House in March 1999, spent several months in a Senate committee, where an amendment affecting CPAs was tacked on, then passed the Senate, came back to the House, and was sent to a conference committee, where the amendment was altered. The bill was signed into law by the governor on August 10, 1999.

     Maggie Jeffus received a big bouquet from A&A that day.

     "Rep. Jeffus has taken a personal interest in our company and acted continuously on our concerns," Price says. "She called or e-mailed many, many times to keep us informed of what was happening in Raleigh. Now the ‘North Carolina ESOP issue’ is no more."

     Jeffus, who started life in Salem, Virginia, works hard to know and represent the interests of her constituency. A language arts teacher for 30 years, she was compelled by educational issues (and a strong twist of the arm) to first seek office in 1988. Jeffus continues to be an active advocate for the arts, women’s issues, and education. In addition, she chairs the Appropriation Committee on General Government, is vice chair of the Education Committee, and heads a commission studying the digitization of public records and another study commission on job-training programs.

     Jeffus recently decided to run for her fifth term on the state legislature. Her husband, Ted Thompson, is one of her biggest supporters, peppering the 89th district with signs when he’s not selling real estate or playing saxophone in the Atlantic Jazz or Bo Thorpe orchestras.

GREENSBORO CELEBRATES 10th ANNIVERSARY

A&A Introduces Tool of the Future

Greensboro’s work with the wireless industry is changing the way they do business with engineers.

     Thanks to wireless technology, waiting for an important call no longer ties you to one place, and help is handy in case of an emergency. All of this is made possible by towers that send and receive the signals, and that’s where A&A comes into play. Since 1991, A&A’s Greensboro office has provided a range of surveying, site development and planning services for over 300 tower sites. Clients include ALLTEL, GTE Wireless, AT&T, Nextel, and other service providers.

     In addition to surveying and developing site plans for wireless facilities and towers, the company provides certifications for precise latitude, longitude, and elevation for F.A.A. permitting, writes legal descriptions, and coordinates the permitting process and utility services.

     A&A Greensboro’s first telecommunications client was GTE Wireless, and the long-standing relationship continues to grow today. "We’ve developed a good working relationship, and it has been a learning experience for both of us, " said Scott Smith, Administrator of Property Management for GTE Wireless. Specifically, Smith thinks A&A has learned a great deal about the needs of the telecommunications industry from working with GTE, and he has learned firsthand the value of A&A’s high-tech tools. "To me, NetMeeting (a web-based application- sharing program, in this case used by A&A to review cell tower plans and visualize changes with the client) is the wave of the future in terms of relationships between architects, engineers, and clients," he said. "It’s just phenomenal." Using NetMeeting minimizes miscommunications and eliminates time spent faxing documents back and forth.

     Access to A&A’s high-tech digital imaging and simulation services also gives the company’s telecommunications clients an edge. "In one case, we superimposed the design of structural components for a rooftop application onto a digital picture of a penthouse," explained Tim Ingold. "That really helped the contractor and everyone concerned realize what we envisioned for the design, and how it would fit with what was already there. It gave them a much better understanding than just looking at a line drawing." For more information about services available for wireless clients in any A&A service area, contact Tim Ingold at the Greensboro office or call   (800) 438-0394.

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