| Group buys out Bojangles' chicken chain
One man built the nation's biggest consumer bank; the other, a Super Bowl team. Together, they've bought Charlotte's signature chicken-and-biscuits chain. An investment group that includes former Bank of America chief Hugh McColl said Thursday it has joined with Carolina Panthers founder Jerry Richardson to buy a majority stake in Bojangles'. Led by Falfurrias Capital Partners, the new ownership group now controls more than 60 percent of the Charlotte-based Bojangles', which sells spicy chicken, buttermilk biscuits and other items at nearly 400 restaurants in almost a dozen states. "This is a remarkable opportunity with a company that has a good track record," McColl said. The deal will bring a new CEO to Bojangles' - the current chief will remain in the ownership group - and could boost already brisk growth in new locations.
Sylvan to expand footprint
Sylvan Learning has entered into an aggressive re-franchising of its learning centers, which is aimed at increasing access for parents. Sylvan, which provides in-center and online private tutoring to students, on Tuesday unveiled a plan to make more than 400 centers and "territories" available across the country for franchise ownership, including 25 centers and territories in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. .
City Council approves increased cable franchise fee
COLUMBIA — On the surface, Monday night looked to be a watershed moment for Columbia's chronically underfunded public access channel. The City Council approved raising the cable television franchise fee, a measure initially recommended to better fund Columbia Access Television. And to boot, the council signed off on $15,000 to keep CAT TV running until the end of the year. But what could prove more important for CAT TV, and the city's other access channels, is what the council didn't decide Monday: Who will benefit from the extra funds, estimated at $260,000 in 2008? “Nothing's written in stone right now," CAT treasurer Steve Hudnell said. “We want to be funded properly. We never intended to continue on $30,000 a year. That has been something that we never intended to go on this long." Both CAT and Columbia Public Schools, which runs the city's educational access channel, have expressed interest in the money generated by the franchise fee increase.
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