Ultimate Concerts pulls the plug on proposition for Cleveland County 2,800 Jobs vanish

Up by 6:20 a.m. and on the road by 7.
A Lincolnton resident dressed to impress, Shereka Nixon spent 40 minutes driving Monday morning, but for good reason - or so she originally thought.
Like hundreds in or around Cleveland County who applied, Nixon hoped to land work with Ultimate Concerts Inc., a company she'd hoped was coming to the area.
Her first step toward a paycheck was orientation at the Restoration Learning Center in Shelby. When she arrived around 8 a.m., her hopes fell after spotting a padlocked gate.
"I felt like I had a chance at least," said Nixon. "It was an opportunity that I was willing to seize since they made it so promising."
Ultimate Concerts President Napoleon Brewer revealed in December his intention to bring his company and 2,800 jobs to Shelby - a welcome relief to those seeking employment.
But Brewer announced late Friday - less than 72 hours before orientation - his decision to pull the plug on his original proposition for Cleveland County. He claimed investigations into his company and its product, the "super concert access card," sparked negativity toward the project.
While Brewer said he now looks to the community to speak out in support of the jobs and said there's still a possibility of a small Ultimate Concerts office in Shelby, not everyone is ready to hop on the bandwagon just yet.
"I think it wasn't professional at all," Nixon said of Brewer's announcement.
Like Nixon, Rosalind Dawkins didn't learn of the canceled Ultimate Concerts orientation until she pulled onto Millsap Road, where the event was to be held. Locked out, tired and miles from home, Dawkins left minutes after she arrived.
Brewer previously told The Star upwards of 1,000 potential hires were expected to attend orientation Monday morning. Only a few arrived following Friday's cancellation announcement.
"It was probably on the news, but me myself, I don't watch the news that often," Dawkins said. "I had to hear it by mouth that nobody was going to be here."
Dawkins, a Gaffney, S.C. resident, said it didn't matter what position Ultimate Concerts had to offer, "as long as it was a job."
"I needed one," she said. "It's a downfall because you're thinking you're going to have a job right now. The economy's down and it's a promised job. It feels like you're going back to the beginning now."
Marty Blodgett didn't make a trip to Shelby Monday; she stayed home in Blacksburg, S.C., instead after learning of the cancellation.
Blodgett said there could be significant backlash from recent events surrounding Ultimate Concerts.
"The community as a whole - I think they're going to rally and protest," she said.
"People are hurting, bottom line."
With a few "strong winners" by Brewer's side, Blodgett believes the project might have come to fruition.
"I thought it could pass with the right clientele," she said.
Noelle Talley, public information officer with the N.C. Attorney General's office, confirmed the agency is still looking into Ultimate Concerts.
Considering the circumstances, Jackie Mitchell voiced concern over what might happen to the applications the company received.
"What are they going to do with all this information people have put on these applications?" asked Mitchell, a Shelby resident. "There's a lot of information they could use to ruin a lot of people."
Mitchell believes a return policy should be in order.
"I would like to tell the people in general, let's get behind this thing, get all our information back, and whatever they're doing, they can continue to do, but send the information back to the people that filed the applications." source>>>

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