Business Doings

Iatria founder starts new company

Iatria Spa and Health Center's founder and top executive has handed the reins of the company to her husband and started a new company.

Erika Mangrum, the former president of Raleigh-based Iatria, recently launched Aesthetic and Medical Practices, a consulting firm for people who are starting or expanding spas and medical practices.

Mangrum also will continue as Iatria's chairwoman, offering strategic direction to the firm.

Dave Mangrum is now president and CEO of Iatria. He joined the company in 1999 and has since served as its chief financial officer. As president and CEO, he will oversee the company's growth and day-to-day operations, in addition to maintaining the role of CFO.

Under the Mangrums' leadership, Iatria has expanded to three locations in the Triangle and was named one of Inc. magazine's fastest-growing private companies in the United States.

Iatria offer customers massages, facials and other body treatments. The company also provides specialized treatments such as Botox, laser hair removal and light therapy for acne.

Deals

Craig Davis Properties has partnered with Centennial Campus on an office and mixed-use project. An office building will be constructed at Main Campus and Varsity drives. It is expected to be completed in early 2010. There are plans for an additional mixed-use building that will consist of dining facilities and other retail services. The building will be LEED-certified -- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Strategic Employee Benefit Services in Raleigh, a locally owned affiliate of Northwestern Mutual, is merging with Zaytoun & Associates of Cary. The partnership brings together two of the Triangle's largest privately held employee benefit companies, and significantly increases the sixth largest and fastest growing SEBS affiliate's presence in the Carolinas.

Durham-based Cree has opened the Cree Shenzhen Engineering Center in Shenzhen, China. The center trains lighting product designers and manufacturers in best practices for LED lighting product design and construction.

Modality, a Durham company that makes reference guides that can be downloaded onto hand-held media players including the iPod, has released Frommer's Travel Guides for iPhone and iPod Touch. The 2008 editions of Frommer's New York, San Francisco, London and Paris are available for purchase and download on Apple.com. The cost is $9.99.

Local EyeSight, an online networking community for eye care professionals, opened for business this year in Raleigh. The Web site is expanding outside of North Carolina in August. Brad McCorkle of Raleigh founded LES with the mission of improving the quality of eye care by enhancing communication, increasing educational opportunities and fostering professional development.

Alternate Access of Raleigh expanded its line of voiceover Internet protocol product offerings to include the AastraLink Pro 160. The new product will allow Alternate Access to offer small businesses with as few as three employees, an entry-level VoIP option.

The Covington, an assisted living and memory care community, has opened at 4510 Duraleigh Road in Raleigh. The facility will be home to 60 assisted living residents and 60 memory care residents.