The NCICU Business Affiliate Program provides a mutually beneficial link between North Carolina’s business community and the state’s 36 private colleges and universities.
Our Business Affiliates are companies or individuals whose work with NCICU colleges and universities has earned NCICU’s endorsement.
To become a Business Affiliate, businesses must have the following:
- Affirmation from at least one North Carolina independent college or university that the applicant is successfully doing business within the State’s private higher education community
- Commitment from a responsible representative of the applying business that the business will endeavor to support North Carolina private higher education
- Annual financial support of $1,000
- Approval from Managing Director of the Independent College Fund
For complete information about becoming an NCICU Business Affiliate, contact Colleen Kinser at kinser@ncicu.org or call (919) 832-5817.
NCICU Colleges and Universities are encouraged to contact these business partners when there is a need for the products and services they provide. Each Business Affiliate can be located through the Campus Buyers Guide, along with a short description of their products, services, contact information and website.
Please check this page often, as we will be continually adding new Affiliates. The list of our current Business Affiliates is shown alphabetically below.
Adirondack Solutions is the worldwide leader in providing innovative software primarily for the college student life market. We offer solutions for campus housing management, conference and event services, parking/vehicle registration, conduct management, and much more. Most of our staff have worked in higher education and we collaborate with our clients to deliver products and services that meet the needs of an ever-changing and dynamic field. Couple that with the best customer service in the industry, and you’ll have a combination that can’t lose.
Contact: Jason Gross
Phone: 908.725.8869 x217
Email: jgross@adirondacksolutions.com
Website: www.adirondacksolutions.com
Since 2008, AffinityLTC, LLC has been a Coalition for College Cost Savings (The Coalition) endorsed program provider, specializing in the marketing and administration of employer and association sponsored Long Term Care (LTC) Insurance programs. AffinityLTC has always been exclusively focused in the LTC insurance marketplace. AffinityLTC developed a proprietary LTC benefits program for member institutions currently utilizing products from Genworth Financial. AffinityLTC has over 100 private Higher Ed clients across the country.
Contact: Michael S. VanGavree
Phone: 717.737.3060 x300
Email: mike@affinityltc.com
Website: www.affinityltc.com
As higher education’s largest provider of managed technology services, Apogee helps colleges and universities transition to and excel in today’s digital era. Its comprehensive Managed Campus Suite includes ResNet and Administrative network solutions that connect the campus to enhance learning outcomes, video that transforms the way students engage, and new digital engagement technologies that captivate students. Partnering with Apogee enables schools to derive greater return on their IT investments and increases student satisfaction while achieving budget stability and predictability. Find out more at apogee.us.
Contact: Gerad Johnson
Phone: 919.244.0171
Email: gjohnson@apogee.us
Website: www.apogee.us
BCWH provides full-service architecture, campus planning, interior design, and landscape architecture services in a practice committed to creating enriching and inspiring places with and for our clients. The firm has over thirty years of service to educational institutions with a focus on independent colleges and universities.
The BCWH campus planning studio is a focused group of designers with a national expertise in college and university campus planning. The integrated team of architects, planners, interior designers and landscape architects consistently demonstrates the value of understanding and shaping the whole campus environment. The studio has completed over 700 planning and design projects on more than 80 campuses, earning a reputation for thoughtful planning, creative insight and superior service.
Contact: Charles D. Piper
Phone: 804.788.4774
Email: cpiper@bcwh.com
Website: www.bcwh.com
BDO delivers customized accounting, consulting and financial advisory services to clients of all sizes – across industries, throughout the country, and around the world. Our culture is collaborative. Partners are approachable. Specialists are accessible. Everyone at BDO understands that at its core, our job is about helping – in thousands of different ways, for thousands of different clients – and that we measure success one relationship at a time.
Contact: Julie Hampton
Phone: 919.278.1996
Email: jhampton@bdo.com
Website: www.bdo.com
Blackbaud is the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good. Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through software, services, expertise, and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of higher education organizations. With over 35 years in the non-profit market, Blackbaud portfolio is the preferred solution provider for over 4,000 higher education organizations nationwide. Nearly 70% of schools in the NCICU system rely on Blackbaud for their fundraising and donor management solutions.
Contact: Jillian Smith
Phone: 843.654.3880
Email: jillian.smith@blackbaud.com
Website: www.blackbaud.com
Blackboard Transact delivers the security and convenience of a single, unified credential that not only meets your campus needs, but also transforms your students’ overall campus experience. We provide unified security, commerce, and financial services solutions—from building access, video surveillance, and financial aid disbursement to point-of-sale, bookstore, and laundry payment solutions.
Contact: Jared Marber
Phone:404.872.7121
Email: jared.marber@blackboard.com
Website: www.blackboard.com/transact
Bon Appetit Management Company is an on-site restaurant company offering full food-service management to private colleges and universities. They operate more than 1,000 cafés in 33 states. Their food is cooked from scratch, including sauces, stocks, and soups. A pioneer in environmentally sound sourcing policies, we’ve developed programs addressing local purchasing, overuse of antibiotics, sustainable seafood, the food–climate change connection, humanely raised meat and eggs, and farmworkers’ rights.
Contact: Kimberly Ravizza
Phone: 650.798.8000
Email: info@bamco.com
Website: www.bamco.com
The challenges of higher education will continue at an extraordinary pace. As the industry continues to face these challenges, you will need an exceptional relationship with, and commitment from, a group of accounting professionals who advise you and support your efforts. For over 40 years, Brown Edwards has been dedicated to providing exceptional service and expertise to our higher education clients throughout the mid-Atlantic region. By partnering with our clients and understanding their needs and concerns, Brown Edwards is a true alternative to the “business as usual” approach. And, as a Top 100 firm, you can be sure you have access to industry leading resources while receiving the personalized service our clients deserve and expect.
Contact: David C. Snyder, CPA
Phone: 540.345.0936
Email: dsnyder@becpas.com
Website: www.becpas.com
Captrust is an independently owned and operated retirement planning and investment advisory firm headquartered in Raleigh, NC with $250 billion in assets under advisory, we serve as fiduciary consultants for more than 146 educational institutions, representing approximately 437 retirement plans and totaling over $66 billion in assets under advisement in the education sector. As a firm, we work with 36 providers for 403(b), 457, and 401(a) plans — counting TIAA, fidelity, and VALIC as our top provider relationships. CAPTRUST has developed the specialized expertise required to help plan sponsors optimize their retirement plans while effectively managing fiduciary risk in a constantly changing environment. We are committed to the independence required for complete objectivity.
Contact: Erica Blomgren
Phone: 919.870.6822
Email: erica.blomgren@captrustadvisors.com
Website: www.captrustadvisors.com
Carolinas IT is a leading provider of technology solutions and has been in business for over 20 years. We offer NCICU and its members premier pricing on Technology Support Services, Cloud Computing, Implementation Solutions, Data Privacy Assessments, and Hardware Procurement discounts. For more information, visit carolinasit.com.
Contact: Krista Cathey
Phone: 919.573.4073
Email: krista.cathey@carolinasit.com
Website: www.carolinasit.com
As a nationally recognized firm, Cherry Bekaert has the resources to take your institution as far as you want to go. Our industry specialists already know your market place, so we can help you make the most of emerging opportunities while minimizing compliance headaches. Ranked among the largest accounting firms in the country, Cherry Bekaert specializes in offering solutions that impact our clients ability to succeed.
Contact: Jim Ratchford
Phone: 704.377.1678
Email: jratchford@cbh.com
Website: www.cbh.com
Cenergistic® is a technology-powered, data-driven energy conservation company, helping colleges and universities reduce consumption of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and water. Our proven approach is built on a proprietary methodology, which optimizes clients’ infrastructure, improves internal processes and creates a culture of energy conservation to ensure savings continue for years to come. This approach saves the average client 20 – 30% off expected utility costs.
Contact: Dr. Ed Croom
Phone: 919.291.8969
Email: ecroom@cenergistic.com
Website: www.cenergistic.com
This service, provided jointly by CFI and Financial Aid Services, works with colleges and universities to verify information students submit on the FAFSA. We provide students a unique online interview, easy document upload capabilities and phone support. We handle the routine paperwork enabling financial aid administrators more time to counsel students. Using our service can result in improved cash flow on the campus. Service is offered at a discounted rate to NC campuses.
Contact: Rose Mary Stelma
Phone: 919.835.2402
Email: rosemary.stelma.cfi.org
Website: sscwp.org
EX$EL Financial Education & Repayment Success enables you to strengthen students’ financial education and guide borrowers in successfully managing their student loans. Services include regular communication, access to online financial education and repayment success courses and use of an extensive resource library with articles and tips for students and borrowers. Intensive Counseling is available for seriously delinquent borrowers. Services are offered at a discounted rate to NCICU members.
Contact: Rose Mary Stelma
Phone: 919.835.2402
Email: rosemary.stelma.cfi.org
Website: sscwp.org
Corporate Risk Management Inc. is an independent insurance consulting firm providing outsourced risk management services to clients on a fee-for-services basis. As we do not sell insurance, our firm is able to provide objective program review and expert advice in order to help our clients obtain the most comprehensive and competitively priced insurance programs available. Our client services include on-going full service agreements, managed marketing projects and program analysis reports.
Contact: Eric Little
Phone: 704.335.0185
Email: elittle@crm1978.com
Website: www.crm1978.com
CORT’s Furniture Rental Solutions has helped Colleges and Universities for over 40 years. These services include overflow housing needs, helping International Students & Scholars Services and Graduate Schools seamlessly accommodate their out-of-area students, visiting faculty & guests, reduce furnished housing program costs, and help you recruit and retain live-on staff while making them feel more at home. CORT can deliver as quickly as within 48 business hours in 66 major markets nationwide.
Contact: Vanida Zdanowicz
Phone: 704.705.6368
Email: Vanida.Zdanowicz@cort.com
Website: www.cort.com/highered
Technology plays a critical role in every aspect of higher education today, from recruiting and retention to performance and the overall student experience.
Dynamic Campus partners with forward-thinking colleges and universities who want to ensure their institution’s technical capabilities are optimized for the rapidly-changing needs and goals of students, faculty and stakeholders alike.
Dynamic Campus provides a proven blend of managed IT services, on-demand technical capabilities and a vendor-agnostic approach to help colleges and universities maximize the performance of their existing technology investments and IT support teams.
Universities and colleges trust Dynamic Campus to greatly improve student success outcomes and deliver better strategic alignment, improved organizational visibility and accountability, lower institutional risk, and a campus IT environment that’s “future ready”.
Contact: Sheila Lang
Phone: 480.231.5340
Email: sheila.lang@dynamiccampus.com
Website:www.dynamiccampus.com
First American Education Finance provides NCICU institutions with customized financing solutions at preferred rates. For more than 20 years, First American has served the needs of the education community helping more than 700 schools deliver the best education possible to their students. Our unique financing solutions solve school challenges from complex campus projects to equipment management – all through a simple and transparent experience.
Products & Services:
- Asset Renewal Financing Programs
- Campus Improvement Financing Programs
- Purchasing Card Programs
Contact: Todd Benson
Phone: 510.857.5912
Email: todd.benson@faef.com
Website: www.faef.com/education
Driven by our food-first philosophy, Harvest Table Culinary Group brings innovative, authentic and personalized food experiences to life for each unique college and university we serve.
We believe everyone should experience the timeless camaraderie of mealtime, the delicious moments that a hand-crafted meal brings. Our world-class chefs and food enthusiasts create dishes to satisfy every nutritional need and evolving appetites for something new, exciting, and enriching.
Contact: Mary Thornton
Phone: 804.229.4941
Email: thornton-mary@harvesttableculinary.com
Website: www.harvesttabeculinary.com
Honeywell Building Solutions partners with private Colleges & Universities to make them more competitive in the market. An appealing campus that is safe and secure is essential to attracting and retaining students but can be challenging to achieve with limited budgets and escalating costs. Honeywell can help you implement campus improvements with minimal need for capital funds by optimizing your operating budget. Let us handle your energy and infrastructure challenges so you can be more competitive in attracting students and teachers to your campus.
Contact: Mallory Cain
Phone: 804.515.1518
Email: mallory.cain@honeywell.com
Website: www.honeywell.com
HRP Associates, Inc. is an environmental health & safety risk management consulting engineering firm that specializes in the fields of environmental and OSHA health and safety compliance, lab safety, industrial hygiene, asbestos, mold, and lead paint consulting, and property acquisition due diligence.. To date, we have helped over 300 college and university campuses across the United States resolve their environmental, health and safety risk management challenges. HRP’s professional environmental engineers have been helping private and public organizations meet complex regulatory compliance obligations for over 35 years. Example services include compliance auditing, technical EPA and OSHA compliance training, permitting, and industrial hygiene testing. HRP works diligently to keep you up-to-date with changes in federal, state, and local EH&S regulatory requirements and provide you with sound and practical solutions that you can realistically implement.
Contact:
Tad A. Goetcheus, PE
Executive Vice President
1327-D Miller Road
Greenville SC 29607
Phone: 800.752.3922 or 864.289.0311
Email: tad.goetcheus@hrpassociates.com
Website: www.hrpassociates.com
Marsh & McLennan Agency – Mid-Atlantic, a leading employee benefits consulting agency in North Carolina that specializes in key consulting services, including strategic planning, compliance support, actuarial and data analysis, wellness solutions, and human resources services. By delivering a wide array of products and services, our clients can rely on us to be a trusted advisor and to offer strategic and cost effective solutions to meet their benefit program need.
Contact: William Salmon
Email: wfsalmon@mma-pbs.com
Website: www.probenefitsolutions.com
The Campus Studio of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture provides professional planning, architectural and interior design services to a Southeastern clientele of colleges and universities through 5 office locations in the Carolinas and Georgia. Past experience includes academic, athletic, residential and dining facilities on over 60 college campuses. We work with institutions to understand their culture and mission, creating spaces to enhance the social and educational experience specific to each.
Contact: Ron Smith or Karen Calhoun
Phone: 864.585.5678
Email: rsmith@mcmillanpazdansmith.com or kcalhoun@mcmillanpazdansmith.com
Website: www.mcmillanpazdansmith.com
Metz Culinary Management is a culinary and environmental services firm that provides exceptional quality culinary products and services to the college and university industry. We offer the freshest ingredients and menus to exceed our guests expectations.
Contact: John Geronimo
Phone: 724.312.6758
Email: johng@metzcorp.com
Website: metzculinary.com
Millennium Advisory Services is a registered investment advisory firm that provides 403(b) services for private institutions of higher education throughout the southeast. We work with plan level fiduciary partners to offer a turn-key solution known as “403(b) Complete”, designed to help plan sponsors meet their fiduciary obligations on both the participant level and the plan level. We provide communication and education services as well as fiduciary advice and asset management services for plan participants. Millennium’s mission is to help plan sponsors deliver a retirement plan to their employees that truly changes participant behavior and drives meaningful retirement outcomes, helping participants and their families achieve their personal and financial life goals.
Contact: Paul Hunt
Phone: 804.346.1044
Email: phunt@mcmva.com
Website: www.mas-edu.com
Moseley Architects has provided professional architecture and engineering services for over 150 collegiate projects. Clients can rely on the firm’s extensive campus planning, programming, and design experience in a broad portfolio of college and university facilities, including academic, research, recreation, athletic, arts, and student life. Additionally, our campus master planning experience includes preserving green spaces and promoting sustainability initiatives. Our success with colleges and universities is based in large part to an inclusive and participatory design process stemming from the belief that the active involvement of our clients and facility users leads to better design solutions.
Contact: Stephanie Cooper
Phone: 704.540.3755
Email: scooper@moseleyarchitects.com
Website: www.moseleyarchitects.com
PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest diversified financial services organizations, providing retail and business banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. Our Public Finance group’s capabilities include industry-leading treasury management products—such as lockbox, remote deposit and purchasing cards—that help increase the efficiencies for not-for-profit entities and negotiated underwriting and re-marketing services.
Contact: Marcus Smith
Phone: 919.788.5795
Email: marcus.smith@pnc.com
Website: www.pnc.com
SunTrust Banks, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest and strongest financial holding companies. Through its banking and leasing subsidiaries, the company provides deposit, credit, trust, and investment services to a broad range of institutional clients. Specialized subsidiaries also offer investment management and capital market services. The company operates 1,616 retail branches throughout the Southeast and provides customers with a full range of technology-based banking channels.
Contact: Jeff Stoddard
Phone: 919.381.3286
Email: jeff.stoddard@suntrust.com
Website: www.suntrust.com
Spectrum Enterprise knows that in today’s mobile and digital world, higher education is no longer bound to traditional classrooms or schedules. Spectrum Enterprise provides staff, faculty, students and visitors the advanced, reliable technology required to maximize sharing and learning anywhere, anytime. Our secure, scalable bandwidth and connectivity solutions provide a solid foundation for advanced applications that enhance academics and the campus environment. In addition, our dedicated support professionals help keep your critical IT infrastructure working and your students learning.
Contact: Nicole Alexander
Phone: 704.206.2015
Email: Nicole.alexander@charter.com
Website: https://enterprise.spectrum.com/
Thompson & Little is a North Carolina-based food service equipment and supplies dealership. They have the ability to handle new construction, remodels and replacements along with smallware packages.
Contact: David Maxwell
Phone: 910.484.1128
Email: davidm@thompsonlittle.com
Website: thompsonlittle.com
Vemo Education is an education finance company that helps colleges and universities design and deploy student-centric, income-based financial aid solutions. Vemo’s full-service approach to income-based student financing solutions can help NCICU members:
- Improve student enrollment mix
- Increase graduation rates
- Boost competitiveness in recruiting
- Generate a new revenue stream
Contact: Timothy Egan
Email: tim.egan@vemo.com
Phone: 703.587.4026
Website: vemo.com
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP’s multi-disciplinary Education Team has served institutions of higher education for 30+ years, helping them meet business, legal and regulatory challenges. We support the full range of legal needs in the education industry and are active with a number of organizations, including the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), Colleges and University Personnel Association (CUPA) and the National and North Carolina School Boards Associations (NSBA, NCSBA).
Contact: Liz Riley or Beth Jones
Email: Liz.Riley@wbd-us.com and Beth.Jones@wbd-us.com
Website: www.womblebonddickinson.com/us/sectors/public-sector/education